Illusions
by darksideauthor
Summary: What happens when one of the Eppes is targeted by an escapee from a high security facility? Chapter 18 up! COMPLETE! Let me know whats wrong with ending, i'll fix it!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except the villain, I don't own Numb3r.

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Chapter 1

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"He's gone, I don't know where, he's simply gone!"

"What do you mean he's gone, he can't be gone, not from here, how could he escape!"

"I mean he's not their, I was on my way to his cell with his meal, and when I looked through his cell window, he was gone."

"I called security and had them start a security sweep of the building, he isn't here."

"We can't just give up, he's dangerous, he's capable of anything; that's why he was here in the first place; to keep him locked away from the world."

"I know."

"Fine, let's look at the security cameras and see exactly how he managed to get out, oh and have the security teams do another sweep and check up on the others; we don't need any one else escaping."

"Where do you think he'll go?"

"I don't know."

"What will he do? We've seen what he can do locked in his cell with only a blanket and pillow. Imagine what he could do being out."

"Come on focus, sitting there worrying isn't going to bring him back; we need to check the cameras."

"Oh, right, of course, I'll send the security teams to do their run and join you in a minute." With that the two women parted ways with a great feeling of agitation and concern.

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Don let a grin slip across his face as he finally finished the last of the paperwork and closed the case. A couple of teens had miraculously decided to get into the black market to smuggle weapons into the U.S, fortunately they had just started and with no professional tutelage, were absolutely sloppy. When the teens realized the F.B.I was on their case, they decided to use notes to contact them; luckily they were dumb enough to sign the notes with their full and legal names. The case hadn't even been open for a week and it was already closed. Don couldn't remember the last time a case had been so easy.

Don stood up and gave a big stretch causing his back to pop. He went over and grabbed a cup of coffee watching what everyone else was doing. Everything they did had laziness to it, even when the case was still open things went slower than usual due to the sheer stupidity of the teens. Don couldn't help but laugh at how they finally caught the teens. Apparently when the teens had no where else to go and not get caught, they decided to hold up a nearby bank. One of the hostages was a little old lady that had gotten fed up with being delayed. She lost her patients and started beating the nearest teen with her purse until she'd knocked him unconscious, the other teens had been so shocked they simply stared; they didn't have the stomach to shoot her. After seeing what the little old lady did to their partner, they surrendered when she started shuffling to the next teen.

Don's thoughts were broken into by the ring of his cell phone.

"Eppes, oh hey Charlie, yeah I just closed the case. Sure I'd love to come over, what's Dad cooking tonight? Yeah okay, I'll bring the Mylanta; see you in a little bit. Bye." Don drove to Charlie's house thinking about previous cases and how they had ended. As he pulled up to the house, he couldn't think of any case that had been so easy or had such a funny ending. Parking the car, he got out and headed towards the door still deep in his thoughts. Enjoying each other's company, none of the Eppes noticed the figure in the shadows, watching them.

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**Author's Note **Hey, this is my first Numb3rs story, reviews are wanted, and constructive criticism is welcome. Any suggestions as to where the story should go will be taken into careful consideration. 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Thanks for all the reviews, there're really helpful to me so keep on reviewing. If you find new suggestions for any of the chapters just review it, even if you already have for a chapter. Oh, by the way Stealth Dragon, although nothing is set in stone I have ideas of where the story is going, so I do have several ideas how to I will end this. My weakness is finding what to put in the middle of the story so all suggestions are carefully considered. To CindyT63, I liked your suggestion, but for my first Fan fic don't be surprised if it doesn't happen, I'm not really sure how they would react and be true to the characters, but it might happen. Thanks to everyone, the more reviews I get the easier it will be for me to update the story, so review, review, review. Smiles.

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Chapter 2

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Alan walked out onto the front porch with his steaming hot coffee. The day was beautiful, the sun was shining, lazy white clouds wafted through the sky, and a sweet, refreshing breeze rustled the leaves on the trees. He bent down picking up the morning newspaper. As he turned to go back into the house to read his newly acquired paper, he noticed a new face across the street.

The stranger was a young man a little older than Charlie but not as old as Don. He had bright red hair, almost orange, pale white skin; he looked like he was a little taller than Don, heavier built, with strikingly green eyes. He sat Indian style on the lawn, with a large sketch book, drawing furiously like a toddler. He looked oblivious to the world, much like Charlie when he was deep into a mathematical equation.

Smiling to himself, Alan went back inside to read his newspaper.

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"We're not sure how he escaped, according to the cameras he simply opened his cell door and left, it's as if the door was left unlocked.Either he has an accomplice in the escape, or someone's head is going to role because of stupidity.How he was able to evade the security patrols, is still unclear." The woman paced the room furiously rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Tammy, did you put out an alert to the public about, him he's dangerous?" The woman said giving her fellow employee a hard look.

"No Jaime, I decided to wait for security to report back and determine whether he was still on the grounds, besides, if anyone is going to be alerted, I think it should be the police or F.B.I, they're trained to find people like him." Both women jumped when a large security guard entered and reported that the escapee was no longer on the premises. Jaime gave a stern look directed at Tammy, she knew that Tammy was stalling from reporting this to the public, it might cause some panic.

"It's time to alert someone, he's no longer here, the sooner we get him back, the safer the public will be, and there'll be less reason for panic."

"Fine, I'll go find out who I need to call and then I will make the call." Defeated, Tammy left the room with the hard task of informing the authorities that someone had escaped a high security facility and was now among the public.

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Sitting back he looked at his drawing, perfection. He had been drawing all morning, looking oblivious to the world was the best way to watch someone without them knowing, not to mention he got a chance to practice his sketches. Looking up, he could see inside the window of the house across the street. By the looks of it the old man he'd been watching all morning was gathering his stuff up to leave. Gathering his art supplies he got up and walked a ways down the street and hid behind a thick tree. He watched as the old man drove a way smiling at the weather.

After the car was sufficiently out of sight, he crept out from behind his tree walked over to the now vacant house. Pulling out his paperclip and skillfully unlocked the door, letting himself in. Wandering around through the house he explored the entire house, drawing sketches as he went. After a couple of hours his stomach started to grumble, so he gathered his stuff and left the house, relocking the door as he made his exit.

"They'll never know I was here until it's too late." He thought to himself happily as he skipped to the nearest Chinese fast food place. Picking up his food, he decided to go watch the next target while he ate lunch, it would help him become accustomed to the routine.

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Charlie rummaged through his desk drawers looking for a new piece of chalk. He'd used up his original piece of chalk about ten minutes ago and had been searching for a new one ever since.

"Charles, have you lost something?"

"Hmm, oh hi Larry, yeah I need a new piece of chalk." Charlie barely finished his sentence when his stomach gave a loud growl. Looking up at the clock Charlie realized that it was lunch time already.

"Well since you seem to be out of chalk and it is lunch time, perhaps you would like to join me in a game chess over lunch." Charlie looked at the clock again, then at Larry, and then at his incomplete math problem. Sure why not, it's not like I can continue with this anyways, and with that they grabbed there lunches and left to go play chess.

Charlie and Larry sat at a table underneath a large tree setting up their chess pieces. Charlie bit into his sandwich waiting for Larry took make his first move while calculating the probability of what he would move and the effectiveness of the move. After a moment Larry moved his pawn and looked at Charlie for his move.

"I wonder if that is a new student." Charlie stated slightly distracted

"Who?" Larry asked.

"That guy over there, sitting under the tree with Chinese food." Charlie said pointing to a fairly tall guy sitting Indian style, with almost orange hair, heavily built, with striking green eyes.

"I don't really know, I've never seen him before. Why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason, I just didn't remember seeing him before." The two continued their game paying no more heed to the stranger.

After lunch Charlie taught the rest of his classes and headed home taking one of his shortcuts. The shortcut went through a medium size patch of trees that cleared away after ten minutes and led back to the sidewalk five minutes from the Eppes home. Charlie never noticed the stranger following behind.

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Don drove to a Chinese food place near his apartment, he thought that day was never going to end; he didn't think a day could ever move so slowly. Looking forward to the food he pulled into a parking spot and headed into the fast food place. Waiting in line in front of him was the stranger looking absolutely livid. Don gave him plenty of space seeing the look of absolute rage in his face, wondering how someone could be so mad and still keep everything under control excluding the occasional snappish remark to the waitress for not cooking fast enough. Once he got his food, he stormed out of the restaurant.

Don got his food and walking out to his car he notice the same stranger that had looked so angry in the restaurant happily humming to himself as he leaned against a pillar eating his food. Shaking his head he got into his car and drove to his apartment, the stranger following behind with a bag of food on each handle bar.

It felt good to prop his feet up and just relax and watch TV while eat Chinese food. Don turned on the TV and searched the channels for something good to watch. Eventually he settled on watching "The Village" for lack of anything more to his taste. During one of the commercials he felt like he was being watched. He looked around the room for reassurance that he was truly alone. Satisfied he went back to the movie distracted not really paying attention to the movie, he still had that eerie feeling that he wasn't alone. In the movie the girl stood alone in the forest, she knew she wasn't alone. Fearful she continued to look for the path. The camera sidestepped revealing the predator.

**SNAP!**

Don jumped at the snap, and looking around still found himself alone, but he wasn't so sure. Wary he got up and looked throughout his apartment to assure himself he was alone. He was. _The movie has gone to my head,_ he thought to himself. Turning off the TV he put away the Chinese food, looked to make sure everything was locked up, and went to bed.

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He was having a really good day; it had been too easy stealing the bike from a nearby family. He had decided to follow Don around and learn his routine. He had learned a lot about the family when he was able to let himself in the day he spent watching the old man. He couldn't believe they didn't even have suspicions about him. He was able to get in and out of the Eppes home several times. He felt ready for a change of pace and a challenge.

He watched as Don got ready for work, he followed as he drove to work. After several hours He watched Don get in his car to go to lunch, after a few minutes of following, he realized where Don was headed for lunch. Speeding up a little he managed to get there first and Don ended up waiting behind him. That's the way he liked it. After that he went to CalSci for a while and watched the youngest son Charlie. He knew where Don would be right now.

Later he followed Charlie along his shortcut; this shortcut was out of sight of the street, excellent to make a grab if chose to. Next he followed Don home. Looking in his window he watched a strange movie he had never seen, ducking out of sight when Don got uneasy and looked around. That's when he got the idea to get into his head a little. After a little bit of searching he found stick as thick around as the circumference of a penny. With a little effort he snapped the stick in half; the stick gave a satisfying snap. He smiled at himself seeing Don jump and warily search his apartment and check to make sure everything was locked before he went to bed.

After he was sure that Don was deep in his sleep, he pulled out his handy dandy paperclip and let himself into Don's apartment.

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**A/N:** Thanks again for reviews. I fixed the scene break thingy, I'm not sure why it didn't show the first time, sorry. All suggestions are welcome. It may be a few extra days getting chapter three up, holidays, they do have a down side. Any ways thanks for being so helpful. My greatest fear is writing a Fan fic that doesn't stay true to the characters so let me know if I'm getting off track character wise. Thanks. Smiles

Disclaimer: I don't own Charlie, Don, Alan or any of the Numb3rs characters, the villain is mine. Also for the nit picky people, I don't own the movie "The Village" I simply thought it went well with the situation.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks for all reviews, very helpful. I apologize if I'm creeping people out, that was an accident. I hope I'm not scaring readers away. I need my reader's advice, some people want the story to have a faster pace, others want me to be sinister and keep things slow. Please let me know. Again I want to let all worried readers that I do have an excellent Idea of where the story is going, and I will finish it, have no fear. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please read and **Review.

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Chapter 3

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Don woke to the irritating buzz of his alarm clock. Lazily opening his eyes he was met by a blast of sunlight. Groaning he snapped his eyes shut again and rolled over to face away from the window. With another groan he got up and headed to the kitchen to plug in the coffee pot. When he entered the living room, he gave a confused look at the TV. He could have sworn he turned it off before going to bed. Contradictory to what he thought, the muted TV played some obscure movie he'd never heard of. Puzzled he turned off the TV and plugged in the coffee pot.

That was when he realized something strange about the kitchen, all of the silver ware and cutlery he owned were scattered all over the table and counters. The eerie feeling of being watched returned to him with a vengeance. Grabbing the closest knife he cautiously searched his apartment again. Finding himself alone he continued getting ready for work, looking over his shoulder throughout the morning. Returning to his room he got dressed while waiting for the coffee to finish perking. Distractedly Don went back to the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee, trying to think of anything else he needed before leaving for work.

Realizing that he didn't have his sidearm he went back to the bedroom dresser to get his gun. He was absolutely confounded when it wasn't there. Frustrated he started digging through the dresser drawers, throwing clothes all over the place, looking under the bed, behind the dresser, in the bathroom, absolutely everywhere, and he still couldn't find his gun. Scowling at himself, he refilled his cup with coffee and stood looking at the silverware on the table when he realized that carefully hidden beneath the cutlery was his gun.

Don's scowl never left for the rest of the day. When he arrived at work that morning he was given a new case where a high security facility 'lost' one of their residents. Ever since he was given the case, he'd been reviewing the security tapes from the past week; so far without success. Leaning back in his chair, rubbing the frustration out of his eyes, he looked at the wall clock. One O'clock, he was going to have to pull a late nighter again. Don's thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone.

"Eppes, no Dad, I haven't seen Charlie. Well he probably went to school early today. He didn't? Alright I'll call him, I'm sure he's fine don't worry. Okay, bye." David gave Don a quizzical look. "Dad hasn't seen Charlie all day and Larry called and said that Charlie didn't show up to any of his classes." The answer must have been satisfactory since David went back to what he was doing when Don dialed Charlie's cell phone.

After several rings Don hung up the phone, decided on trying again every so often until some one located him. With that thought Don went back to his work, but his mind was now on Charlie. He had this nagging feeling that he couldn't ignore. Throughout the rest of the day Don called Charlie's cell phone without success. Alan called twice asking about Charlie and on the third phone call, David gave Don an order like suggestion to go find Charlie, and that he would hold down the fort. Don gratefully left to drive around town and see if he could find Charlie. He left around four in the afternoon.

Don searched for Charlie in all the usual spots he might be, and then he simply drove anywhere and everywhere in search of his brother. At some point during the day he went back to his apartment to see if Charlie had gone there for some reason. Don was shocked to find his apartment completely thrashed, the couch was sliced to ribbons, the mirrors were smashed, all of his dishes were shattered, chairs were splintered, and pictures were shattered and ripped. The TV was completely dismantled, electronic chips removed and smashed, the glass lay in pieces. Going through his apartment he found everything the same; destroyed. Until he came to his room, that's what really got him nervous, the room was clean; everything he had thrown around that morning was folded and put away in the correct places.

Don ran out of the apartment and getting into his car called Terry and told her to send a team to his apartment. Hanging up he speed as fast as he could to his Dad's house, _no wait, it's Charlie's house. Dang where is he, this can't be coincidence._ That night, Don's mind traveled in circles as he lay awake in his old bed at Charlie's house._ Why would someone break into my apartment, not take anything, and not take me; clearly they're capable of anything. Who is doing this? Where's Charlie? Did they take Charlie? Charlie is gone. Where's Charlie?

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**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it's so short; I couldn't find any ways to make it longer. It was hard to write this chapter. Thanksgiving interrupted my thought process, so I had to get back into the Numb3rs train of thought. I beg for reviews, the more reviews I get the easier it is to update, and it helps me update faster. So please **READ AND REVIEW!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: sorry for taking so long, writer's block is killer. For all of those readers who had complaints about Ch. 3, I've edited it and you should reread and give me your opinion. It's extremely helpful and helps me write faster. Hey, I want your opinion, tell me what you want to happen in this story, I seriously consider your suggestions. Anyways Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy this chapter. **Please Read and Review!

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Chapter 4

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That next week went by slower the Don ever thought time could possibly move. After seeing his apartment shredded he had stayed with his dad, guarding his every step. Each day he went searching for Charlie in every place he could think of, and still no luck. Repeatedly returning to his apartment he would find something gone or moved and each time his team checked it out, no clues were left behind. Frustrated, Don installed cameras throughout his apartment in plain sight in hopes of making the thief nervous and getting a visual.

It soon became apparent to Don that this thief could care less whether there were cameras watching when he received a note on his table written in ketchup spelling, "nice cameras". After that Don only came by his apartment to take the used tapes and put new ones in the cameras. He never did get a description because the thief came prepared in an outfit that covered everything, he could only tell the height and weight.

In the hopes of not scarring his father, Don decided not to tell Alan about the break-ins at his apartment, but simply pleaded that he not go anywhere alone. This peaked Alan's curiosity and concern but he consented.

Four days, it had been four agonizingly slow days since Charlie disappeared. Don quickly put Terry and David in charge of catching the thief while he searched for his brother. Don found himself driving through town yet again, this time he was in an area he hadn't been to before. His mind was blank, he couldn't think, all he wanted was to find Charlie and be able to hear those annoying endless equations Charlie rattled off. He never realized how much he would miss them until they were gone.

Don never noticed his foot pressing harder on the gas as he weaved in and out of traffic searching every nook and cranny for his baby brother. He was tunnel vision searching only for Charlie. There was nothing, no signs, no Charlie, nothing. Don suddenly realized that he hadn't checked one of Charlie's shortcuts home. How could he possibly forget! He hadn't checked the remote path that went through a small patch of trees. Don's foot was to the floor to get to that shortcut.

He felt so stupid that he didn't check it already. What if Charlie had crashed on his bike and hurt! It felt like hours before Don reached the beginning of the shortcut. Parking his car he started down the path looking for any sign of Charlie. From this shortcut he couldn't see the road or any buildings. He could barely hear the constant hum of cars going by on the road. Don slowly walked down the path looking for anything that would lead him to Charlie. When he reached the end of the path, he went back the way he came searching all the more carefully. Still he saw nothing.

On each side of him was a patch of trees no longer and wider than a mile. Don went to the left side and started looking for signs of Charlie. He didn't really think he would find anything but he had to try. After a couple of hours he had searched the entire left section of trees and found nothing. Going back to the car Don checked the clock, 3:00 P.M. After checking in with his dad, he began searching the right side of the tree patch, ignoring his thirst and grumbling stomach. Don's thought solely rested on Charlie and finding him. He didn't remember the last time he'd been this focused on getting something done. Don nearly had a heart attack when after about ten minutes of searching he found Charlie's bike. The bike was crunched and somewhat mangled leaning against a tree.

"Charlie!"

"Charlie, where are you!" Don called at the top of his lungs, Charlie had to be here. He just had to; his bike was here, why couldn't Life be nice and have Charlie there too.

"Charlie!" Don ran in every direction in search of his baby brother. Don searched until the entire area had been searched. Charlie wasn't here.

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**A/N:** Cruel Chuckle, how'd you like that? Please Read and Review! 


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hey everyone, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Sorry It took so long to post this chapter. I had to talk to a friend about specifics in this chapter, not to mention I had to celebrate the new year. Anyways I hope you like this chapter. Please tell me your thoughts on it. I'll try to update sooner from now on but can't promise. I do promise not to go more than a month without updating. Okay everyone; tell me what you think of this chapter and what you want to happen next. Smiles.

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Chapter Five

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Consciousness came to Charlie gradually. He could hear muffled noises, like someone talking to him. For a long while he listened but could never discern any one word. A constant buzzing in his ears made it difficult for him to distinguish the sounds around him. Sharp pains in his head came next. His forehead felt like it was being split in half over and over again. Opening his eyes sent repeated waves of pain through his head. He was never truly sure whether he had opened his eyes or if they were still closed. Every time he thought his eyes were open, everything was just as dark as when they were closed. Charlie tried to stretch his arms only to find that he couldn't move.

Leaning forward slightly he tried to stand up but stopped as sharp pain cut into his wrists. Waiting until after the pain subsided he tried again, this time simply trying to bring his arms forward. Again there was a sharp pain. Charlie continued to stand up and always had to stop as pain shot through his arms. He was riddled with confusion. Why was it so dark? Why couldn't he stand up? Charlie's thoughts were interrupted by another sharp pain in his wrists from another failed attempt to stand up. He could feel something wet snaking it's way across his hands. Charlie gave up tiredly and thought of the last thing he could remember.

He remembered leaving his house early to go to school so he could get some extra time on an equation that was going through his head. Riding his bike he'd decided to go on the back route through the trees. The wind was blowing then, the sun hadn't come up yet but the sky was starting to grey. At first he'd been enjoying being up to see the sunrise, but then he got this strange feeling. He found himself looking behind his shoulder repeatedly. About a third of the way down the path he got off his bike and looked all around finding himself alone. After that he sped down the bike path as fast as he could eager to be at his destination. The last thing he remembered was being half-way through the path when everything went black. Opening his eyes, Charlie leaned forward as far as he could, struggling to ignore the pain in his wrist. After a minute he gave up and leaned back again, panting from the exertion.

Staring into space he tried to think of something he was forgetting. A bright flash of light interrupted his thoughts accompanied by an explosion of pain in the back of his eyes. Charlie shot forward again trying to escape the sudden flash of light sending pain coursing through his arms forcing him to let out a groan. Stars were still dancing before his eyes as he leaned backward again to relieve the pain in his arms. Charlie froze when he heard a loud sound close by. Focusing hard, he tried to distinguish the sound over the buzzing. It sounded like a familiar sound, but what was it? Laughing, someone was laughing. He wasn't alone! The buzzing seemed to fade a little and the sound became clearer, it was definitely someone laughing.

"Who's there?" Charlie said groggily. He thought the person answered but he couldn't tell what they said. Charlie tried to stand up again only to receive more pain. Again the person laughed.

"Where are you?" Charlie asked frustrated. This time the person didn't answer. At first Charlie thought that they had left but then everything grew brighter illuminating the room. The room was a blurry mess. Charlie blinked his eyes furiously ignoring the pain it caused. Slowly his vision cleared revealing that he was in an empty room excluding himself and the person who had laughed.

Charlie looked down at himself to find that he was sitting in a heavy old wooden chair. He guessed that he was bound to the chair since he couldn't stand up or move his arms, but couldn't be sure exactly since he couldn't see his hands. Looking around he found the person that had laughed standing a little ways in front of him leaning against the wall, legs crossed a little ways in front of him hand still on the knob for the light. He had a cynical smile across his face that sent shivers up and down Charlie's spine. The man had a Polaroid camera hanging around his neck. Charlie figured that was the source of the flash.

"What's going on?" Charlie inquired confused. The man only widened his smile and took another picture capturing the confused and slightly fearful expression. With that the man left leaving Charlie to ponder his surrounding and what on earth was going on.

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Terry watched Don pace back and forth as he talked on the phone. She'd been watching him for who knows how long as he made phone calls to local L.A hospitals in the hopes that perhaps Charlie had turned up somewhere. Terry watched Don scribble another furious note on the white board as yet another phone call was ended. Don stood staring angrily at the white board for a few minutes before a thought came into mind and he dialed his phone and began pacing again. Terry noticed that every time Don stood still he unknowingly swayed back and forth. She tried to think of the last time Don had eaten or slept since Charlie went missing. The only times Don left the office was to drive around looking for Charlie and to guard his father at night. She knew he wasn't sleeping at home; he was always making rounds throughout the house checking locks on windows and doors. Terry decided to do something about Don when he swayed so heavily that he had to grab the table to keep from falling.

Don felt the frustration rising as yet another phone call ended without getting him anywhere. Mercilessly he stabbed at the white board as he wrote yet another note to himself. Looking over the notes again he realized they all showed the same thing; he wasn't getting anywhere. Ignoring the loud grumble from his stomach and the dryness of his mouth he dialed the phone again. He began pacing to keep his balance as he talked on the phone. His eyes felt heavy and he knew he needed sleep, but every time he thought of sleep Charlie kept popping into his mind and he felt guilty for going home to sleep. After a few minutes he ended the call without any new information of Charlie's whereabouts.

Suddenly the room began to violently spin and sway. Don dropped his phone and grabbed the table to keep from falling. After a few minutes the room settled and Don went to the white board to write a note. Don didn't notice Terry enter the room with a resolute look upon her until the marker was gone from his hand.

"Terry give that back, I need to write a note." Don said sternly.

"No, you need some sleep and a hot meal!"

"Terry, give it back! I have to find Charlie!" Don shouted angrily.

"Not until you take a break!" Terry's voicing rising to match Don's.

Angrily Don snatched the marker out of Terry's hand turning back to his notes. Not ready to back down, Terry went to plan 2 and left the room. Indomitable she went and found David Sinclaire and explained the situation and the plan. Together they found the biggest agent in the office that day.

Terry swooped in first grabbing the fallen cell phone off the ground and the marker out of Don's hand. Before he could respond David and the large agent grabbed Don's hands and with a struggle cuffed them behind his back. It took all three of them to drag Don and force him to lie down on a nearby couch. Once they got him down the large agent sat on Don's chest to keep him down.

"Get off! I have to find Charlie!" Don shouted as he squirmed and struggle to get up.

"Can you hold them there while we're gone?" Terry asked turning to the large agent. The agent nodded. With that Terry and David went to pick up where Don left off. After a little while they left the office on a lead. Unsuccessful they returned to find Don asleep on the couch, the room cleared of anything that could be used for work and a bag of Chinese food with a drink on the table. The door had a chair propped up under the door knob successfully locking Don inside. With that she went to go see the agent she'd left in charge of Don.

"So how'd things go while I was gone?" She asked curiously

"Well, he struggled for the first half hour and then I guess exhaustion kicked in because he fell asleep after that." The agent explained.

"Thanks, he'll pay you back for the Chinese later." With that Terry went on with her work. Every now an then she would glance back at Don to find him sleeping heavily on the couch. Hours passed peacefully while he slept. Terry was just checking on Don when the lady at the front desk came and gave her an envelope that had just been delivered. Terry read the envelope; _To Agent Eppes_. She heaved a sigh and went to wake Don.

"Don"

"Don"

"DON!" Terry yelled. Don opened his eyes slowly, still bleary eyed from sleeping so hard.

"What" He said grumpily.

"You have a letter."

"You wanna uncuff me now, so I can read it?" Don sat up and let Terry uncuff his hands. Rubbing the feeling back into them he watched as Terry fetched the letter off the table. Terry curiously watched as Don slowly opened the letter. Don's entire body tensed and the color drained from his face.

"Don, what is it?" Don didn't answer but sluggishly handed the contents of the letter to Terry. Within the envelope were to Polaroid pictures. The first showed and unconscious Charlie sitting in an old Oak chair; a bar shaped bruise stretched across his forehead at a slant which led into his right which was swollen shut and three different shades of purple. He was leaning heavily against his bonds. Terry could see that he was handcuffed to the chair. He had deep cuts in his wrists from leaning against the handcuffs. The second pictured showed Charlie still cuffed to the chair but this time he was conscious. He didn't appear to have any new injuries, though his wrists looked like they had been bleeding freely. Terry saw a look of confusion on Charlie face and fear in his eyes. On the back of both photographs were written three horrible words.

_I TOOK HIM.

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**A/N: **I hope you like the chapter. I'm sorry if the previous chapter's formatting were hard to read. Let me know if this new format is easier to read. My apologies for all the cliffies, but that's seems to be the best way to end the chapters. I'll try to reduce the cliffies a little. Anyways, let me know what you think about the chapter. Smiles.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Hey everyone, I hope you like the story. I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter but I'm having to cope with having five different Numb3rs stories that I'm going to write, plus this one, floating around in my head. It's a new experience for me. Any ways I hope you like this chapter: let me know! Smiles!

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Chapter Six

Don ignored the constant throb that emanated through his skull. He couldn't remember when he began the onslaught of phone calls to Charlie's cell phone. All he remembered was the look on Charlie's face in that last photograph. He couldn't get it out of his mind. He had dialed Charlie's cell as fast as he could in hopes that whoever had sent the photo would answer the phone. The two pictures and the envelope had been sent to forensics to check for finger prints. One of the photos had already come back clear of prints, that had surprised him that it came back so quickly.

Scowling he hung up as he reached the answering machine of Charlie's cell yet again. Grabbing two Aspirin he quickly downed half a water bottle. Ever since the photos had arrived, Terry had been nonchalantly leaving water bottles all over the office. Currently he was one step away from water bottles no matter where he was in the office. He took a moment to look at every one at the office. Not a single soul except him stood idle. His cell phone had been immediately hooked to a recorder and tracer. He'd been calling for Charlie ever since the pictures arrived he was desperate, at times he would get to the voicemail and yell into the phone to see Charlie, other times he would be capable of calmly asking for someone, anyone to answer the phone. At one point he even pleaded to hear from Charlie or his kidnapper. Suddenly feeling guilty again for just standing there, Don got back to work calling Charlie's phone.

David watched as Don paced back and forth cell phone squeezed against his ear. David could see the stress in his every move and the exhaustion in his eyes. Watching him as he squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose just after taking an Aspirin; David's attention was drawn to an item on the desk. The bag of Chinese food abandon after the dreadful pictures arrival. Heaving a big sigh he walked past Don, grabbed the food and walked off to the kitchen to reheat it. When he returned he set the food down on the desk again.

"Don."

"Don," David raised his voice a little to break into Don's thoughts.

"Huh, what, did you get a lead on Charlie?" Don said, hope rising in his voice.

"No, you haven't eaten yet."

"How can I eat knowing Charlie can't," Don stated resolutely.

"I know, we all want Charlie back, but starving yourself isn't going to bring him back faster, Don."

"I'm not eating until I find Charlie and bring him home," With that Don tried to stare David into submission, but David wasn't done yet. Leaning out the door a little, David called to the same large agent that had helped with Don earlier.

"Bring me handcuffs and a crowbar will you, he's not eating?"

"Sure" With that the agent headed towards the door. Fearing that the two would actually follow through with their plan he threw his hands up in submission.

"Fine!" he huffed. With a venomous scowl he stalked over to the food.

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Alan sat on the sofa in his living room listening to the suppressing silence that consumed his home the day his beloved son disappeared. He looked around the living room as memories floated through his mind. He remembered the first time he took Charlie to one of Don's baseball games, Charlie had rattled off equations about the probability of whether Don would hit the ball and where it would go. Then there was the time when he and Charlie had gone to get ice cream. They both got two scoops that day and Charlie started rattling off equations about the probability of getting two scoops of equal size.

Suddenly the silence was overwhelming, he needed to hear the voice of his son, he needed to see the mess of papers with indiscernible writing strewn all over the house. He jumped up and walked through out the house restlessly. Every time he turned a corner he couldn't help but expect to see Charlie just sitting there like nothing had happened. Before he realized it, he was standing at Charlie's bedroom door. He almost felt afraid to open the door as if it would disturb some sacred peace that resided over the room.

Another part of him feared that he would see something he couldn't handle, but what exactly he didn't know. Slowly opening the door he simply stared at the emptiness of the room. The room was quiet like the rest of the house. There was no Charlie. No constant tapping of a laptop being typed on filled the room, no image of seeing his son sitting Indian style on his bed, computer in lap, and earphones blasting music. It pained him to look at the room so bare, even with the floor covered in old math papers with hundreds of equations scrawled on them. It's amazing how empty a home can become when only one thing is gone.

Alan heaved a big sigh and trudged back down stairs to the couch. Looking at the clock it read nine o'clock. Don would be working all night again. 'He'll do anything for his brother', Alan thought as he picked up a picture from the table. Charlie and Don were sitting together smiling ear to ear. He feared that if he lost Charlie, he would lose Don as well. Don would never be the same again if he couldn't find Charlie and save him this one time. Alan broke down and sobbed.

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Alan woke with a start and looked at the clock, midnight. With a groan he got up and started walking to his room to settle in for the night. As he went he realized that Don was sitting in front of the door, knees drawn up to his chest, arms crossed around his knees, and his head resting on his knees. He was holding something tightly in his hand.

"Don?"

"It's my fault," He said morosely

"What?"

"Charlie is gone because of me, it's my fault, I'm a failure as a brother."

"That's not true; none of us could have known this would hap…"

"It's true, it's my fault!" Don shouted bolting up to look his father in the eye.

"What's that?" Alan said pointing to the item in Don's hand.

"What, nothing, it's nothing," Don stated evasively.

"Let me see it."

"NO!" Don shouted.

"DONALD EPPES! Let me see that!" Alan commanded grabbing it out of Don's hand. It was a video tape with a bright white label that had written _Charlie _in bold black letters. Alan turned to the living room to watch the tape, but noticed that Don didn't follow.

"Are you coming?"

"No, I can't watch it again," Don said with his eyes down cast.

Alan went and turned on the tape and watched nervously. He gasped when an image of Charlie appeared on the screen. He was black and blue with bruises and had a streak of blood snaking down from the side of his head, originating from what looked like a freshly made gash. Charlie's eyes were glazed over and he waved back and forth slightly as he sat cuffed to a wooden chair. His voice wavered as he spoke, it sounded and looked like it was taking everything he had to focus and speak.

"Don't try to find me, you never will. I'm a lost cause, because of you. I'm going to die a horrible slow death all alone and it's your fault. You protect complete strangers with ease but you can't protect your own brother," Charlie's eyes completely glazed over and he began to slip into unconsciousness. Suddenly a golf ball sized rock flew in from the right and beanned Charlie in the back of the head. Charlie jerked awake again looked around then down to the floor. There must have been a card with what he was supposed to say on the floor because after a moment of confusion Charlie continued his message. "As a brother you're despicable and a failure. You took his brother so he took me, and it's all your fault," With that Charlie slipped into unconsciousness and the video ended.

All Alan could do was stare, never in his life could he have imagined seeing either of his sons in such condition or situation. Slowly he pivoted on the couch to face where Don now stood having entered when the tape was finished. The guilt in Don's eyes was almost palpable. Alan searched for the right words to comfort Don but the shock from the video was still too new. The strained silence was broken with the ring of Don's cell phone. The phone had barely finished the first ring before Don answered.

"Eppes"

"Don, it's Terry, we've got a fingerprint!"

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**A/N:** Hope you liked it. By the way, my new beta has reformatted and corrected errors in the previous chapters, I hope that makes it easier to read. Let me know what you think. 


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** hope you liked the last chapter. I'm trying to update as fast as possible. Never been this far along in a story so the more reviews I get the better the update rate is. Let me know what you think of this chapter. Smiles!

Chapter Seven

Charlie tried to ignore the loud grumbling of his stomach. He couldn't remember when he'd last eaten. He didn't know how long he'd been missing, but he did know that he hadn't had breakfast before he'd left home for school. Right about now he was wishing he'd had that breakfast. He'd been given water at some point, but he didn't know when. At first he'd thought that it had been a dream, until he realized the situation he was in, and then he concluded that his captor was simply keeping him alive.

He tried to move his arms but they'd long since gone numb along with his legs. He longed to be free of that awful chair and just be able to move. His mind returned to the video tape that had been made. He hated the things that the guy had made him say. At first he'd refused, he couldn't say those things, not to Don. They just weren't true. Even after the guy had knocked him around he wouldn't do it. It was only when the guy threatened to end it all and just kill him that he gave in. It wouldn't help if he got killed over a few words, no matter how hurtful. The words echoed in his head. He only hoped Don could forgive him for saying those things. Oh, how he longed to speak to his brother, to hear his reassuring voice.

Blackness began to creep up on him again as the longing to sleep grew stronger. Charlie fought desperately against to urge to sleep; he wasn't any use to Don sleeping. He gave a groan when he heard a ringing; he was sure that his ears were ringing again. Then the ringing stopped for a minute or two and rang again. It wasn't just in his head. Charlie grasped that it was his cell phone that was ringing and that it could only be Don that was calling. His heart skipped a hopeful beat at the thought of Don calling. Counting the seconds that the phone rang and the seconds between calls, Charlie used his numbers to keep track of time.

The repetitiveness of the ringing began to give him a headache after an hour and he lost track of the number of rings and the time. Trying to ignore the grumbles from his stomach he couldn't remember ever being this hungry in his life, he was willing to do almost anything for food. His shoulders ached from being in the same pose for hours on end and he still couldn't feel his arms or legs. Despair filled him; it felt like forever since he'd seen Donnie and his father and he felt all alone. He tried to hold back the tears but it felt like it'd been so long since he'd seen his family and had anything to eat. His entire body seemed to be aching and groaning at him, even the parts he couldn't feel. He just wanted go to sleep and wake up to find it all a horrible dream.

Charlie was almost asleep when, his captor paraded into the room. He sluggishly opened his eyes and stared at the floor. The guy was talking to someone on a phone. He sounded really mad. He was surprised when the phone was put up against his ear. Someone was saying his name and asking if he was there.

"Donnie?" He asked tired but hopeful.

"Hey Charlie, are you ok?"

"Everything hurts"

"Yeah, I know, I'm working on it."

"I want to go home Donnie."

"I'm trying buddy, I've got everyone in the office working on it, okay."

"Okay."

"We all want you back; I just need you to hang in there okay."

"Alright"

"I love you" Charlie never had a chance to answer before the guy hung up the phone.

"He'll never find you, just give up." With that he left the room. Charlie listened to the cheerful whistling of his captor. He could hear him moving around in the building, happily whistling and humming to himself. Suddenly he hated everything around him. He hated the door for being closed, he hated the light for being too bright, he hated his captor for kidnapping him, but he especially loathed that awful chair for holding him from escaping.

He wriggled and writhed against the chair ignoring the shots of pain coursing through his wrists from the exceedingly tight handcuffs, desperate to be free. The chair nearly tipped over from all of the sudden movement and Charlie stopped to think of a way to escape the chair. He could think of only one way to escape. Slowly he leaned forward and with great strain stood up with the chair. The chair creaked and cracked in complaint. Bracing it against the wall he stood for a moment balancing. Taking a deep breath he charged at the opposite wall, slamming the chair against it as hard as he could. The force of the hit through him to the ground as he was showered with splinters and chunks of wood, he lay for a moment dazed. Slowly sitting up he saw the chair in tatters all around him. With a struggle he stood up noticing a sharp pain in his side. Looking down he saw a medium length chunk of wood sticking out of his side.

Suddenly the door burst open missing him by mere inches.

"What the…!" the guy shouted when he saw the chairs shattered around Charlie. He darted out of the way as the guy plunged at him. The guy slipped on a piece of wood and fell to the ground as Charlie ran towards the now open door. He was just outside the door when a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and swung him back into the room, slamming him against the wall. The attacker jammed his knee into Charlie's stomach and brought his elbow down onto his back. He fell to the ground gasping for breath. He gave Charlie a kick causing him to cry out when the piece of wood sank deeper into him before snapping. His captor soon caught up to him in a rage. Charlie tried to scoot away from all the kicks and stomps landing on his stomach, chest, and face, eventually rolling into a protective ball.

Charlie was elated when it all stopped. He let out a whimper from all the new pains as well as the old. Before leaving, his kidnapper said one thing.

"Don't mess with Dylon Bailey."

**A/N:**Evil laughter, what'd you think?


	8. Chapter 8

**A/n:** Hey everybody, how're you liking the story so far. I hope you liked the last chapter. Have no fear, Charlie isn't abandon. Yes I am mean to him, but hey, those are our favorite stories, now aren't they. Anyways, let me know what you think. Smiles.

Chapter 8

Don sat with his feet propped up on his desk with his legs crossed. Deep dark circles hung wearily beneath his morose eyes, exhaustion plagued the etches of his face. Seeming to have lost the ability to blink, he stared deadly at the cell phone on his desk. A thin black wire snaked from the phone like a taut life line ready to snap, keeping the phone battery charged. Beside it lay a sinister photo of Charlie unconscious, badly beaten, with colorful bruises and a large blood stain on the right side of his shirt, the chair no where to be seen. Don loathed the fact that every time contact was made where he got to see or hear Charlie, he was in remarkably worse condition.

Rage began to bubble and boil within him; his dead stare gained a hateful edge to it, as he began to see red. Ideas of revenge and any number of things he could do to this guy, floated through his mind. Above everything else, Charlie's words from the video echoed mockingly through his mind. He knew Charlie didn't mean it or want to say them, by the look of him and the way he acted, Charlie may not even have realized what he was saying. Despite how much he hated the man for making Charlie say them, and despite how much he hated the words themselves, he had to admit they were true. If he weren't a failure as a brother, _his_ Charlie, _his_ kid brother, wouldn't have been kidnapped, be bruised and bleeding, and never would have had to say those words. Don only hoped that Charlie could forgive hi for being such a failure and a terrible brother.

He picked up the phone to call again, then gingerly set it down again remembering the note on the photograph, _Call again and he dies, wait for my call. _Exhaustion took hold again and the bubbling rage fizzled away.

"Hey Don, how are you holding up?"

"I can't take it Terry, Charlie is paying the price for having a failure brother like me."

"Don, it's not your fault Charlie was kidnapped, no one could have know it would happen. There's nothing you could have done to prevent it."

"Precisely, what kind of brother can't protect his little brother from being kidnapped?"

"The non-psychic kind."

"I can't lose him Terry, not now. I mean, we've finally gotten over our differences and past disagreements, and then this happens. Gone for four days without word, then I get a picture, two days later a video, after a that a phone call, and now this photo. He's been gone for eight days, I'm going to lose him Terry."

"Well find him Don." Don jumped up all too quickly when the cell phone rang. His heart jumped into his throat, blood rushed through his ears, his hands were shaking and he held in a breath as he reached for the phone. Closing his eyes, Don took a deep breath trying to regain his composure.

"Eppes"

"Hello Donnie"

"What do you want? Where's Charlie?" Don bristled.

"Now, now agent, you don't want me to lose my temper. Remember, your brother's life is in my hands."

"No, please, you don't need to do that."

"That's better Agent Eppes.'

"What are your demands?"

"That you suffer agent, that you suffer."

"Dylon, I've done that, now let Charlie go." Don said gritting his teeth.

"When I get my brother back, you can have yours." He said softly.

"I can't bring your brother back, he's dead!" he said angrily.

"That's because you killed him!" he yelled into the phone.

"I DIDN'T KILL YOUR BROTHER!" Don bellowed into the phone. When no one answered, a chill crept up his spine, all he could hear was someone walking. He heard a door open.

"His death is on your head." Dylon said icily. Don heard a shout then…

**BANG!**

**BANG!**

**BANG!**

Don's face drained of all color until he was white as a sheet, his eyes saw in tunnel vision to pinpoints straight ahead of him. Violently trembling he took two steps backward, dropping to his knees, the phone slipping out of his hand, bounced off the desk and swung back and forth, being kept from the floor only by the cord tangled on the stapler. Time slowed tremendously, everything seemed to move in slow motion. He never heard Terry shout his name, he never saw her kneel in front of him and see the look of pure fear on his face. He only saw the phone swinging back and forth like a pendulum, his mind forming an image of Charlie swinging back and forth like a pendulum. His heart was racing, he couldn't count the beats even if he had tried, it felt like it was going to explode. The room was spinning; he couldn't hear anything but those three shots echoing in his mind, he gripped the floor white knuckled to keep from falling. He couldn't breath, he tried to take a breath and got a short shallow gasps. Time seemed to slow further as he watched the phone swing. _I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I've killed Charlie and now it's my turn._

Terry knew the conversation hadn't been going well just by watching Don; she grimaced when he shouted into the phone, but it scared her silly when he suddenly went white, stumbled backwards, and collapsed to his knees. Kneeling in front of him she could easily see him trembling violently, he'd broken into a cold sweat, his pulse frighteningly fast and visible, and he was gasping for breath as he hyperventilated. Terry called his name several times to try and gain his attention but he didn't seem to be able to hear her. Looking him in the eye, she noticed that his eyes were following something. Looking to where his gaze directed, she realized that he was watching the phone swing and set the phone on the desk out of sight. Grabbing his chin, she directed his gaze to hers desperately trying to calm him down.

"Don, look at me Don, I need you to breathe, ok, just breathe. Can you hear me Don, give me a nod." Don gave a small almost imperceptible nod. "Good, now try taking a deep breathe and holding it, can you do that for me?" Don managed a quick gasp and held his breathe for a few seconds before exhaling again. After a while of repeating this process, Terry had Don breathing normally and almost completely calmed down, darting out of the room for only a moment, bringing back a cup of cold water for him to sip. She was about to ask him what happened, when David came into the room.

"Is he alright?"

"Not really, what do you have?"

"We got a trace on that last call." All at once Don snapped out of it, stood up grabbed the paper with the address and headed for the car. In moments every agent present was happily on their way to rescue Charlie.

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**30 Minutes Later**

Don silently approached the small isolated house followed by his team. Shocked by the doors being unlocked, they entered the house silently searching each room carefully for the villain and for Charlie. The silence was eerie and the emptiness was chilling. Furniture was stacked in the middle of one room as if another room had been cleared out for remodeling. A chill went up and down Don's spine every time he entered a new room, fearing what he would see. Turning down a hall the first thing he noticed was that all except one door was open. Slowly gripping the door knob he opened the door, swinging it open and searching the room. There was only one thing in the room. Charlie!

Charlie lay in the middle of the room, arms bent away from his body, legs bent to form the letter P, and a pool of blood growing from his body. Dropping his gun, Don slumped down next to his brother's body. Dylon's cruel words, _His death is on your head,_ came into mind when Don couldn't find a pulse. Then, not believing it at first it was so weak, but the presence of a pulse was confirmed when Charlie drew in a shallow ragged breath. Terry walked in just long enough and left only to return with an armful of hand towels.

Don yanked off Charlie's shirt to asses his injuries. An icy lump his stomach when he saw the condition of his brother. Charlie had three gaping bullet wounds to the chest that were bleeding freely and heavily, was colorfully bruised throughout his torso, what little of him wasn't colorfully bruised was deathly pale, his breathing was shallow and was clearly difficult to accomplish each breathe, his right side had a deep puncture wound that was swollen, puffy and oozing, Don couldn't tell for sure but he thought that there was something lodged inside the wound, on top of this all, it was clear to him that Charlie hadn't been given anything to eat since his ribs showed easily.

He grabbed one of the towels that Terry brought wadded it up and put pressure on the nearest bullet wound. Charlie groaned loudly and tried to squirm away but didn't regain consciousness. He shot Terry a worried glance as she put pressure on the other two bullet wounds. Charlie's eyes opened half way just long enough for Don to see before they closed again. Don called his name and desperately begged for him to wake up, but Charlie wouldn't wake.

"Terry, how far is the hospital from here?"

"Half and hour one way."

"He doesn't have that long, get my car, we're taking him there." Terry ran out and got David then drove Don's car as close the front door as she could. In moments Don and David lumbered out carefully carrying a limp Charlie between them and laid him down in the back seat of the car along with a big pile of towels. After Don had climbed in after Charlie Terry and a troop of agents escorting them drove off at break neck speeds.

"Come on buddy, wake up" Don pressed harder on the towel


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Wow, you like it, you really like it. I'm working on getting more chapters so just be patient, things should begin to pick up since i have a whole 6 hours of computer time available now(spread throughout the week). Let me know how you like this chapter.

Chapter 9

Don stood staring through the glass windows, waiting, simply waiting. He longed to see Charlie walk through those doors as if nothing had happened, no bullet wounds, no puncture wound in his side, no bleeding, simply normal, back to the way things were supposed to be. It felt like so long since he'd seen his brother the way he used to be, walking, talking, and rattling off equations that Don knew nothing about. A group of doctors pushed past him and Don looked frantically to make sure they didn't have Charlie. He went to a desk and asked about Charlie's progress, all he was told was that Charlie was still in emergency surgery and they would notify him when they knew more.

Don took to pacing as he waited for someone to tell him about his brother, the world seem to be moving in fast forward while he moved in slow motion. Whatever happened to his peaceful life from before all of this? How long ago had all of this chaos begun? Terry was talking to him but he couldn't hear, he didn't answer, he just wanted to see his brother again. Exhaustion set in, the world seemed to be spinning, his stomach growled loudly as he let Terry steer him into a nearby chair. She was telling him something but he didn't listen, he didn't want to talk to anyone, he didn't want to see anyone, he just wanted his brother back to normal instead of in emergency surgery, because of him. A cup of coffee was produced in front of him but he didn't have the stomach to drink, the thought of food turned his stomach, he just wanted to be left alone.

Terry shook her head getting up and left. Don didn't know where, he wasn't listening and he truly didn't care at the moment. The room was a little stifling but he felt cold. How could he do that to his own brother? How could he be such a failure? All he had to do was keep his brother safe. He didn't stop Charlie from being kidnapped; he didn't find Charlie for almost two weeks, and what was worse, it was his fault that Charlie was shot three times in the chest and was now in the hospital barely hanging on to life.

Don could still see his brother lying on the ground, bleeding profusely, struggling for such a simple thing as a single breath. He had been so pale; it looked as if he were already dead. The many bruises with the purples, blues, greens, and even yellows had looked almost transparent and hallow, as if they'd been painted on glass. He could still feel his skin. It should have been warm to the touch because of the infection in his side, but it wasn't, it had been cold. Everything about the way it felt had reminded him of a corpse, he still felt the cold, clammy feel of it and every shudder at the touch. Charlie's every breath echoed in his ears. They had sounded as if Charlie had to will himself to take a breath, like a person that was partially drowning. They were struggling for life.

He jumped up startled when someone tapped on his shoulder lightly. Beside him stood his father giving an encouraging smile, the smile was slightly strained but genuine. His father had faith in him and trusted him to protect Charlie and he'd failed. Don couldn't look at his father, he felt ashamed with his eyes down cast. He could feel his eyes surveying him, like they were boring a hole through him. Suddenly he realized what his father was staring at; his entire front was covered in dry crusted blood, Charlie's blood. A wave of nausea swept over him and he ran to the restroom just barely making it in time. His skin crawled at the thought of having Charlie's blood against his skin. When he returned his father was speaking to a nurse to find out about Charlie's progress and Terry had mysteriously disappeared again.

Shakily he eased himself into a nearby chair waiting for his father to finish speaking to the nurse. His father finished and walked back over to Don and sat down next to him pulling him into a firm embrace. Don struggled to keep the wave of emotions at bay, he'd found his baby brother but he could still lose him. He soon lost the battle and broke down and cried in his father's arms.

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Terry watched as Don jumped up yet again looked at the clock and began to pace. It had been hours since she'd returned with a clean set of clothes for Don. He'd been pacing almost the entire times since, taking a break only long enough to ask a nurse if there was any news. One chair over Alan was sleeping lightly and what looked to be peaceful sleep, but she couldn't really tell. A little further away sat Larry and Amita playing a game of chess to keep them from pacing with Don; originally the chess game had been brought to distract Don but he wouldn't have it and refused to play, so they decided to play instead.

Everyone jumped up eagerly when a doctor came out and called for the family of Charlie Eppes. Don took three large strides towards the doctor landing practically nose to nose causing the doctor to take a step back.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Edwards; you must be Mr. Eppes family?"

"I'm Alan Eppes his father; this is Don his older brother."

"I wish I could tell you that Mr. Eppes is in good condition, but that would be a lie. He had three gunshot wounds that punctured a lung causing it to collapse, and one to the shoulder that wasn't too serious, but the other was embedded dangerously close to his heart. He had a serious infection in his side from a chunk of wood that was lodged in his side, he's being treated with a round of antibiotics, and I'll be watching it closely. He also had wide spread bruising and a severe concussion."

"Will he live?" It was the hardest question Alan had ever had to ask.

"He is a young man and clearly has a loving family and is clearly fighting to stay alive, it's too early to tell." Dr. Edwards led them to Charlie's room and left to tend to other patients. Alan and Don entered first. What they saw shocked them. Charlie lay unmoving, paler than when Don had found him, tubes came out of him from every direction, and the only sign that he was alive was the constant, thankfully unending beeps from the machines and the mechanical whooshes from the respirator. Terry, Amita, and Larry quietly dismissed themselves to give the Eppes family some time alone. Alan sat in the nearest chair to watch over his son. Don stared for a few more moments stunned by the sight before joining his father, beginning his vigil over his baby brother

**A/N: **Hey everyone, I hope you liked this chapter, it was tough to write. Let me know what you think! Smiles.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Hey everyone, I hope you liked the last chapter. I just want to ask you to PLEASE! Review when you read the story, I've noticed that I'm not getting as many reviews and it is really hurting my inspiration. If you want more chapters faster, you desperately need to review. Anyways I hope you like this chapter.

Chapter 10

Don sat watching, guarding, his brother; several times both Terry and Alan had tried to get him to go home, but he wouldn't go. He constantly had this fear that his baby brother would flat line and leave him forever if he left. He watched the heart monitor and listened intently to the beeps, holding his breath between beeps in fear that the next one wouldn't come. Every now and then a doctor would come in and check on Charlie's progress but Don never saw them. He completely retreated from the world as he watched over his baby brother, trying to think of how he had gotten Charlie to this point. He didn't know if he could forgive himself if he lost his brother. Would Charlie forgive him for not finding him sooner? He didn't know if he deserved Charlie's forgiveness, he wasn't even sure if he could forgive himself.

Hours passed as Don counted every beep of the heart monitor, when he lost count he would count every breath the respirator took for Charlie. He didn't know why but he always seemed to lose count at one hundred. Perhaps that was the lucky number for that day, he didn't really know, but he found himself simply repeating that number to himself.

Alan put a hand on Don's shoulder to bring him out of his reverie. Don's eyes were glazed over with tiredness and worry and he probably didn't notice, his stomach had been grumbling constantly for the last ten minutes. A little surprised that his silence had been broken Don looked around to find what had disturbed him and found his father. Then he looked out the window and noted the pitch blackness outside. He knew his father had come to make him go home, but he didn't want to, he needed to stay and guard his brother, to protect him from whatever may come next. Indecisive he looked from Charlie to his father and back to Charlie again.

A small movement just outside the door drew Don's attention. For some reason he didn't know, an FBI agent had been placed outside Charlie's private room. Seeing his confused expression, Alan explained the presence of the agent.

"Terry told me that the criminal was still on the loose, and that if an agent was guarding him at all times it would be easier to get you to come home." Don simply nodded making a mental note to thank Terry. It was truly amazing how she knew what the best thing to do was and just did it. Reluctant to leave his brother, even with a constant guard, Don got up slowly and wearily and followed his father to the car.

The car ride home was silent, there seemed to be no form of time passage, everything was simply surreal. If he had looked, Don would have known that Alan was searching for the right thing to say to him, but he didn't look, he simply stared out the window, the events of the day being looked over in his mind. By the time they got home, Don was struggling to stay awake. His father sent him to the couch and soon returned with a plate of food. Too tired to argue Don slowly ate the food, when he was done he trudged up to his old room for bed. The minute his head hit the pillow he was asleep.

Alan watched as his son wearily made his way towards his room, once he was there he got himself some food and sat down to watch some TV and wind down. He didn't really listen to what was on the news until a picture of Charlie flashed on the screen. Stunned, he listened as the reporter gave a brief and somewhat vague recount of the events that had happened in the last two week. It was clear that the reporter knew nothing of the notes or the video tapes.

Just when he thought the shock was over, a video tape was played. In the video tape you could see at least ten plus SUVs surrounding a small house out in the middle of no where. Agents slowly walked up to the house covering all the exits, and went inside. After about a minute, a single agent came running out and drove one of the cars as close to the door as they could get it.

Almost instantly two agents that Alan knew were Don and David Sinclaire, came out dragging Charlie between them. Charlie was completely limp, his head hung down as far as it would go, his hair hung down completely covering his face from the camera, and his feet were dragging behind him showing that he couldn't even attempt to walk. Once the two agents lifted him onto the back seat of the car, David ran back quickly and returned with an armful of towels, soon after the car speed away with a huge escort from all the other agents, the tape ended. Alan dropped his plate and it shattered on the floor. How could someone possibly show such a video tape? How did they get that video footage?

Suddenly an agent materialized next to him asking if he was okay and what happened. Alan stared at the TV a moment longer then explained what had happened. As he cleaned up the broken glass he thought to himself how lucky he was that the loud crash hadn't woken Don. He also realized that the appearance of the agent meant that the FBI was watching his house, but why? The answer came to him just as quickly as the question. The criminal was still abroad and the FBI didn't want to leave the Eppes family unguarded until he was caught.

The next morning Alan woke early and went to visit Charlie leaving a note incase Don woke while he was gone. He stayed with Charlie for about an hour and went back to check on Don whom was still sleeping when he arrived. Alan immediately went about making breakfast and the delicious aromas soon drew Don back to the world of the living. He was still tired but he looked tremendously better than he had before, almost refreshed. Once he'd finished breakfast he went to visit Charlie, still plagued by the protective feeling that something might have happened while he was gone. He talked to his baby brother hoping that he might hear and know that he was safe. Although he knew that Charlie was being kept unconscious so that he wouldn't reject the respirator, Don hoped that he would wake up.

After the long while, Don forced himself to leave Charlie so that he could go to work and catch the foolish criminal that dared to take his brother from him. He drove to the office slowly not really wanting to do the work that was ahead but if it meant finding Charlie's abductor he would gladly do it. Throwing his jacket on his desk he went in search of Terry for an update.

"So far no sign of Bailey, we have agents interviewing people in the local area that we suspect he was residing, no luck yet. Oh, and we're interviewing the camera man on how he got the footage for the news report on Charlie."

"Wait, what news report, and what footage?" Terry looked at him for a moment surprised that he hadn't seen the report. Together they went to a nearby television to watch the video tape of the news report.

"We confiscated two videos, the one with the news report, and the raw footage that he recorded; it goes all the way from when we raided the house, to when you received an update from the doctor on Charlie's condition." By the end of the report Don was livid and shaking with rage. How could this guy have known we would be there? Only one answer came to mind, he was an accomplice.

**A/N: **Evil Laughter, did anyone expect that?


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** I hope you liked the last chapter. I bet no one expected an accomplice, did you? Anyways, the plot bunnies have surrounded me and I can't escape, not that I want to. Let me know what you think is going to happen. I like seeing how close people get, and it helps get the creative juices going. Smiles.

Chapter 11

_Six Months Earlier_

His eyes slowly traveled across the page, he scrutinized every word with great detail, to the untrained eye they would make no sense, they would be gibberish, but to him there was meaning. A smile played across his face, everything was going as planned, it was truly too easy. There were no hang ups, no snags, no after thoughts, it was all going smoothly. If anyone doubted his capabilities, this job would prove to everyone that he couldn't be stopped. He'd done this kind of thing before without even a suspicious thought against him, it was all too easy.

When he was first told who his target was, he was a little unsure about using an unstable man to get to him. After some deep thought he had made a secondary plan just incase plan A didn't work. This letter now proved that he could depend upon Bailey to pull through. But would he listen to instruction? He was certainly intelligent, otherwise the letter he now read would never have made it through the censor that read his every letter and note he sent and received.

He gently rotated the letter in his hands; the letter had contained a highly detailed, well crafted, elaborate plan on getting him out of the facility. It was ingenious really, he wondered how a man residing in such a facility could possibly have this great a mind for criminal activities. Rereading the letter once more carefully searching for errors or flaws in the plan, he formulated his own plan on how to accomplish his goals with Bailey in the mix. If he used Bailey it would be less likely for him to be caught, not that there was much chance of that anyways, he was a person whom the FBI wouldn't even look at twice when looking for suspects, he appeared to have everything going for him, no motive.

As he carefully folded the letter, something about the back of it caught his eye. He brought the letter to a bright light and unfolded it once more looking at the back. Barely noticeable was an indentation without pencil markings that didn't correspond with the hand writing on the front. Eager to see what Bailey had done he grabbed a pencil and angling it so the lead was flat on the paper, colored the backed watching fascinated as lines without markings appeared. After a short while all except the white lines was colored with pencil. He was astounded at what the white lines depicted. Before his eyes were an intricate floor plan of the facility in which Bailey was withheld, and the routes of the guards.

Unable to maintain his composure for a second longer he let out a wicked laugh as the web of lies and intricate details of the plan danced before his eyes. All he had to do was break Bailey out and everything else would take care of themselves. his job would be complete without him having to do hardly anything. The FBI wouldn't be able to connect anything to him; they wouldn't even consider connecting anything to anyone but Bailey. With him, it didn't have to make sense and he would still be the prime suspect. Consumed by euphoria of glee he danced his way over to a file cabinet. Humming to himself, he thumbed through a massive collaboration of files until he found the one he needed for the first step of the plan. As he read the file, he drifted between humming, whistling, and singing to himself, he didn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun or been so excited about his job before.

Most of his previous employers had wanted a demonstration job done to prove that he could accomplish anything that they asked without getting caught or linking anything to them. These employers would be no different, this operation would be easy to accomplish and they would hire him to do their bidding. Once he'd finished their jobs they had for him, he could move on to the next territory. He never ceased to amaze himself at how much he could accomplish in so little time without consequence. Truly he was amazing. It was a little bit of a shame that only his employers and victims knew whom took credit for all his dealings and jobs, but that also meant better business for him. If no one knew who to give credit to for these jobs than it meant that he wasn't suspected and wasn't being watched. Oh well, every good thing comes with a price tag.

He pulled out a map and looked it over circling the target's home. Then after careful consideration he traced along a roadway to what he labeled SAFEHOUSE 1, continuing he marked three other SAFEHOUSES that he would use in this operation. Looking over the data charts he had collected he marked the travel time between each location and the target's home, he needed to know which routes were fastest and which were the slowest. Next he located the facility that Bailey was being held at, from there he located another set of three SAFEHOUSES and marked the time between them. For safety he didn't intend to be at the same locations as Bailey at any one time if at all possible. Just in case he did have to meet up with Bailey he searched the map and marked a CONTACT SAFEHOUSE and mapped out the routes from each different SAFEHOUSE and their times between the two locations.

Pleased with his plans he wrote a reply to the letter he had received from Bailey. He was extremely cautious as to what information he placed in the letter in the unlikely chance that the true contents of the letter were discovered. Just as Bailey had done, he excluded every form of name whether it is in plain sight or in code. Once he was finished he got up and dinked around making preparations paying no attention to the letter for the longest time. Just before he sent the letter off to the facility he reread it in the frame of mind that a censor would read it, seeing nothing suspicious he mailed the letter. Grinning, he thought of his poor unsuspecting and helpless target, they hadn't a chance in the world to escape.

**A/N: **Any guesses?


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Hey everyone, anyone knows how to breed plot bunnies, all mine are running away, but I'm still writing. So what do you think of the story so far? Like the unexpected twists? PLEASE, DON'T GIVE OUT ON THE REVIEWS! If you have me on alert, I request that you at least review, I really need those reviews to keep writing, and you people are reviewing as much! Please, if you read my chapters, be nice and review them. If you review my stuff, I'll review yours(be sure to let me know if you are wanting to take me up on this). Anyways, let me know what you think of this chapter. Smiles!

Chapter 12

Don sat next to his brother; it seemed like years since he'd been able to hold a conversation with his brother. It had been a week since the video tape had been shown on the news, and this was the longest he'd been able to see his brother since. So far they didn't have anything that could connect the reporter to the kidnapping of his brother except for the fact that he had a video tape of Charlie's rescue. The kid kept saying that he wasn't involved. His story was that he'd received and anonymous tip that he should go out to the address that they had found Charlie and video tape what he saw. Personally, Don didn't buy that story, but so far they had nothing to disprove the story, plus he had an alibi, his employer hadn't liked the feel of the tip so he went with the reporter.

Don methodically sifted through the facts of the case as he watched over his thankfully still living brother. So far, a literal mad man had kidnapped his brother in order to have his revenge on Don for a brother that Don didn't kill. It was still a mystery on how a Schizophrenic patient pulled off a perfect escape without leaving any clues, witnesses, or evidence. Don couldn't help but think that there was an accomplice in this case. He shook himself mentally. How on earth could his brother become a case, he was a math professor, it wasn't supposed to be like this. Charlie was simply supposed to be the brains behind the FBI, not the victim of one of their cases. If he hadn't asked Charlie to work with him and the FBI he wouldn't be in this situation right now.

Don looked over his brother's still form. His eyes were closed, they were always closed, and it'd been so long since he'd seen his brother's beautiful brown eyes. Would they ever open again? Would he ever look into his brother's soft brown eyes? It seemed like every day; Charlie looked a little bit worse. His bruises were turning from dark purples and blues to sickly yellows and browns. The doctors kept reassuring him that it was a good sign that it meant Charlie was healing, but he still couldn't get past the awful appearance of his brother. Although the doctors said Charlie was healing, they made things absolutely clear that he was far from healed and there was still a good chance that he wouldn't live. AT least the risk wasn't quite as much now, it gave Don a little bit of peace of mind knowing that his chance of survival had improved.

He was surprised when a nurse came in with a note that she said had been left by a Ms. Lake and was to be delivered to him immediately. He quizzically watched her as she bustled out of the room to attend to other patients. What information would be important enough that Terry couldn't wait for him to leave the hospital and call him? The note was folded and a small piece of tape held it closed. He opened the note slowly so he wouldn't rip it.

_Don,_

_When we went to search the reporter's apartment, we found him dead with a note. Come to the office as soon as possible._

_Agent Lake_

He was a little surprised by the note, what did the note they found say? Who killed the reporter? Why? He looked between Charlie and the note for a moment, not wanting to leave, but knowing that he had to. Slowly he stood up, trying to postpone his leaving as long as possible.

"Hey buddy, I have to go but I'm coming back as soon as I can okay?" With that he gave his brother's hand a firm squeeze and headed towards the door. He had barely reached the door when a loud, monotone, screeching sound reached his ears. He stopped in his tracked so fast he nearly fell over. Taking a hard gulp he slowly turned back towards Charlie wide eyed with fear. His eyes went directly to the heart monitor that Charlie had been hooked to, Charlie was flat lining.

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_Everything was quiet, peaceful. He didn't understand where was he? Where was the man that called himself Bailey? Was he dead?_

_He felt tired, he couldn't open his eyes. He felt a tremendous pressure on his chest. Nothing hurt. Had he died? He should be dead, the last thing he remembered was looking horrified and the man pointed the gun at his chest and fired not once, but three times._

_He tried to turn his head, move an arm, wiggle a toe, anything, but he couldn't, nothing would move, nothing would respond. He must be dead. But if he were dead, how can he think, perhaps this was a dream._

_Everything is quiet, peaceful like the silence one hears when it's snowing. He felt like he was underwater. He hoped this quiet wouldn't end; he liked it, no more fear of his captor, no more pain, no more annoying ringing from Don's cell phone. Don! Where was Don?_

_Was Don looking for him? He wished he could see his brother. Don will find him, he won't quit until he finds him Where was Don? Don._

_Something was different, what was it? Did something squeeze his hand? He felt tired, and ominous blackness threatened him, fear surged through him. Something was different. He desperately tried to fend off the black oblivion that worked to consume him. He wasn't sure what was different but it was more apparent, he didn't know what was worse, the fear that consumed him or the black oblivion. Don!_

_The peace was gone, the quiet was gone, the pain came back full force and growing exponentially. A screeching noise echoed in his ears, voices were everywhere. What were they saying? Who were they? _

_Pain seared through his chest, what was going on? Why did the pain come? He tried to cry out, to plead for the pain to stop, but it returned, stronger this time. He just recovered from the first when a second wave of pain hit worse than the first. Where was Don? What's going on? _

_He tried to move, he had to get away. The pain wouldn't stop. Was he moving, he couldn't tell. Suddenly the screeching stopped, it changed. It wasn't constant, it change pitch regularly, the pain stopped, the voices stopped. Everything stopped._

_He felt the black oblivion creeping up on him once more, but it was different, it wasn't ominous like before, it was the quiet peacefulness of before. He didn't fight it. He felt so tired. He wished Don would find him. He just wanted to go home. Don._

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Don still stared. He'd almost lost him. He nearly died, again. He felt himself still shaking. People were talking to him but he didn't hear. He almost lost him. He nearly died. It took the doctors four tries with the defibrillator to get a heart beat. He couldn't move. He was sitting down, when did he sit down? He almost lost his brother. Charlie almost died. What if he had died? What would he do without Charlie?

He couldn't live without Charlie; life just wouldn't be the same. He almost lost him, Charlie almost died. How was he going to tell his father? Don continued to stare at his brother. He couldn't believe, the doctors had said he was getting better. Hadn't they? How could something like this happen? A nurse handed him a glass of water, she was telling him to breathe, that it would be okay. How could it be okay? He almost lost him. He nearly died.

Suddenly he heard what he was thinking. This wouldn't help Charlie, he had to snap out of it, and he had to do something. What he was leaving for, he couldn't remember. He took a few sips of the water, the nurse practically forcing the cup to his lips to calm him down. He blinked a few times, he looked at the heart monitor, it was beeping like it should. That was good, Charlie wasn't flat lining anymore. His eyes traveled around the room land on the note. He remembered why he was leaving. He asked the nurse to bring him a phone he could use.

Reluctantly he had to go to the nearest phone. He called Terry, he couldn't leave, not now, it was killing him just being a few feet outside the room. He could still see Charlie, but it wasn't good enough, he had to make the phone call quick, he need to be back with Charlie, holding his hand, telling him how much he loved him, and encouraging him to get well. He nervously drummed his fingers waiting for Terry to answer the phone. Fidgety he picked up a pen and anxiously tapped it against the counter as fast as he could. Several people glared at him annoyed, but he didn't care.

"Lake"

"Terry, I can't come" his voice was shaky and it almost cracked, he fought to keep composure.

"Don, are you alright?"

"He just flat lined Terry"

"Is he alright now?" Terry said with genuine concern.

"I almost lost him Terry, he almost died"

"Okay, you stay there, he needs you more now. It's going to be okay Don; Charlie won't give up, not with you there. Don't forget, Charlie will do anything for you." Don couldn't answer, she was right, after a moment of understanding silence they hung up and Don went back to Charlie. Firmly holding his hand, he prayed that Terry was right.

"Hey buddy, I love you, I need you to do something for me." Don paused for a moment struggling to keep composure yet again. He could face his own near deaths; he could face snipers, crime lords, bombs, bioterrorism, anything, except his brother nearly dying. "I need you to stay with me, I need you, don't leave me."

**A/N: Cruel Chuckle**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Hey everybody, so you liked the last chapter eh? So you want me to leave you crumbs, clues, anything, the suspense is killing you? Well you have to review for me to give you clues and crumbs, it's hard to come by these chapters and the reviews make it easier and faster. I don't advise boycotting the reviews; I have other people who would love to read this story. You stop reviewing for me, I stop posting, but I'll make it mean and stop after I put a cliffhanger filled with crumbs, chapter up. Smiles!

Chapter 13

He couldn't stand it, he had to know. Had he succeeded? Was he dead? He hadn't heard anything for two weeks now. That was too long to have to wait in suspense to know if his revenge was complete. Those nine days had been wonderful. He got to sit back and watch as Donald Eppes suffered not knowing what happened to his brother, worrying about whether he was alive or if he would ever see him again. The kid was easier to apprehend than he had expected, although what can you expect from a math professor. He had expected to have lots of trouble from the kid, he was expecting the kid to fight back, struggle, anything. He must have hit the kid in the head with that bat harder than he thought. The kid had spooked early on in the trail and was going as fast as he could to get to school. That was when he jumped out with his bat and one good swing and the kid was out cold. It would have been a lot harder to get him without it; it would have meant that somehow he had to get the kid off the bike without hurting himself in the process. He just hadn't had that kind of reach.

After that everything was easy, he stashed the bike a little ways inside the clump of trees, once that was done he just called his partner for his ride. They stashed Charlie in the trunk and went to one of the remote SAFEHOUSES. Ah, his partner, it had been all too easy to convince him to join him in the operation. All he had had to do was send one letter that was it, one simple letter. The letter hadn't even contained the entire plan, just his escape, he didn't even explain whom he wanted to have revenge on, and that was a little odd that his partner didn't ask questions. He tried to think of where he'd met his partner. Where was it that he had met him? He would have to look into finding out where he met him later. Right now he needed to know what was going on. Had he succeeded? He decided that he would call his partner and find out what was going on.

"Hello"

"What's going on?"

"Bailey, why are you calling me, you're only supposed to call in emergencies."

"I have to know what's going on, did it work? Is he dead? Don't leave me in the dark; I need to know what's happening."

"Bailey calm down, if you give me a chance I'll let you know."

"Okay, I'm calm, what's happening?"

"My informants tell me that the kid flat lined today, they were able to resuscitate him, but he isn't doing well. Apparently the infection is getting worse; they're putting him on stronger antibiotics."

"Oh, goody, it can't be much longer; he couldn't possibly make it through all of that."

"My informant also tells me that Don Eppes is refusing to leave his brother's side. No one can get him to leave for anything now; they have to remember to bring him food so he will at least eat."

"Ah, my heart is broken for him, anything else?"

"Yeah, you did a good job with the reporter, they don't suspect any accomplices anymore, they can't, there isn't any evidence left that points to me. Just sit tight for a little bit longer."

"Fine, let me know when you have anything new." Pleased with the information he heard he couldn't help but smile about himself. It was a good thing this guy had helped him escape the facility; he didn't think he would have been able to accomplish all of this without him. He still couldn't figure out where he'd met his partner. Something about this whole thing wasn't quite right. Why did this guy trust him enough not to ask whom he was taking revenge on? No one in their right mind would have done that without questions….or an ulterior motive. This thought had never occurred to him before. Why couldn't he remember where he'd met him? A car driving down the street suddenly backfired with a loud bang. Bailey's reminiscing jumped to a different memory, one he tried to avoid remembering when he could.

He was in a dark warehouse, it was cold; he couldn't see anything. There was a cloth hood tied onto his head. His hands were tied behind his back with a stiff rope. Everything hurt his side especially. He could still feel the burns from the hot poker. He couldn't remember what it was, but they had wanted it. They had demanded he tell them. Why? Everything they had done to him, it was to get him to tell what he knew. But what it was, he couldn't remember. They'd taken him in the middle of the night; they did all kinds of things to him to make him talk. It been so long, a month since he'd seen daylight, that's how long it took them. That's how long it took for someone to find him.

The exhaustion was consuming. The only thing that kept him from swaying from side to side was the cruelly icy pipe that he'd been tied to. It was quiet, too quiet, something was happening. The silence was deafening, like someone holding their breath before plunging off a cliff. Suddenly everything broke free, people were shouting, but not where he was, they were in other rooms, working their way towards him from the outlier rooms. He heard someone running towards him, only one person. He recognized those footsteps; he'd heard them many times this past month. They weren't here to save him, to end his misery. Fear possessed his every fiber, it was nearly palpable. What was his captor going to do? What would he do with him as some form of law enforcement raided the building?

He tried to stop the tears from coming but they wouldn't stop, they kept coming. He could feel himself shaking, he could hear his sobs, he wanted to be strong, just for a little bit longer. He would be rescued soon, the voices were getting louder, and they were getting closer. But he couldn't, he was at the end of his rope, he couldn't take the fear, the pain, wondering if he would ever be saved; and now he was saved, but he couldn't take it, he could feel it in his core that there would be one last brutal jab, this man was here to make sure he wasn't rescued. He wouldn't be saved, even though he would be found.

The man ripped off the cloth hood. The room wasn't much brighter than when he had the hood on. He couldn't make out the man's face; it was too dark; his eyes were too bleary from the tears. The world seemed to be spinning, despite the darkness he could see faint outlines on the walls of people running towards them. The man leaned over and whispered into his ear maliciously.

"Hate to eliminate and run, but…" Bailey struggled viciously against his bonds wide eyed with fear as his captor raised a gun to his head. He called for help but the words were evilly muffled by the gag still within his mouth. He never saw the man pull the trigger. He never saw his killer drop the gun and run to a secret exit and narrowly escape the raiding party. He only felt the inconceivable pain that coursed through his body. He couldn't move, he tried to look around, he tried to call for help, but he couldn't, he could only stare wide eyed from fear, straight up. He felt himself slipping into darkness, he didn't fight it. He was ready to go, he didn't care anymore, and at least his misery would end. While he felt himself slip into darkness, he never felt his mind slip away from him.

No one knew how he survived; he'd been hospitalized for nearly a year to recover from that one shot. He hadn't been able to tell the police anything, he didn't remember who shot him or who kidnapped him. He only remembered those few terrifying moments. Bailey shook the memory from his mind, fighting back the tears that threatened to ensue. There were times in his life that he wished that he hadn't been so lucky, that he hadn't been given that one miracle. Nothing was the same afterwards, he had no family to go to, and no friends that cared enough to take him in. But that didn't matter; they wouldn't have let him go anyways. Ever since that day they said he wasn't all there, he was delusional, that he lived in his own little world apart from the real world. It had been the cruel and unusual punishment that even though he was found, he was alive and no longer the prisoner of killers, he never regained his freedom, until now.

Thoughts ran through is head. Questions plagued his mind. Where had he met this dashing young kid with a flare for criminal activities? How did the kid know how to pull off these operations and not be a suspect? This clearly wasn't his first criminal operation. It was almost like he was a professional. Where did he get all the supplies to pull this off? Why was he so willing to break him out without question and help him pull off a murder of someone he didn't know? It couldn't be him? He couldn't be the same guy that shot him that horrible night in the warehouse…could he?

**A/N: How's that for a crumb? Let me know.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So do you like it so far? Do you have any guesses as to what will happen next? I hope you like it, let me know. Smiles!**

Chapter 14

Everything was muddled, his body felt heavy. The room felt like it was spinning. He tried to move his arm, twitch a finger, anything, but nothing would move. An irregular buzz echoed through the room. He tried to swat it away like a fly but still his limbs refused to move. He felt so tired, he just wanted to sleep. Why was he so tired? Suddenly it felt like fire within his chest. His lungs filled with oxygen; it felt like his chest was being torn apart. Just when he felt like it was over, another gush of air filled his lungs and a fresh wave of pain coursed through his chest. He desperately tried to hold his breath, to stop the pain, but something was forcibly taking the breaths for him. The buzzing sound was closer and louder. It became more defined and less irregular. It was almost like it wasn't supposed to be a buzz but some other sound.

Slowly, painstakingly he opened his eyes, at first he could only open them for a few seconds, barely opened, then after a few minutes of trying, his eyes fully opened and stayed open. Everything was blurry, like paint smeared with water. There were no defined shapes, just smudges of color that moved. The world was white with smudges of grey. Tall grey pillars towered over him like unmoving guards. His eyes darted around the room searching for some clue as to where he was and what was going on. To his right was a formless shadow in his peripheral vision. He watched the shadow for a moment as it shifted periodically. He couldn't be sure but he thought it was more then just a shadow. Oh, how he wished he could see clearly. He felt himself becoming more aware, as if he were emerging from a deep sleep. He blinked a few times in the hopes that his vision might clear, even if only a little. When the room remained just as blurry as before panic started to creep in, why was he here? Where was here? Why was everything so blurry?

He tried to swallow in his nervousness but he couldn't, something was stuck in his throat. He was choking; he had to get what ever was in his throat out before he suffocated. He felt his heart thudding hurriedly in his chest; his blood was rushing through his ears. He raised his hand to his mouth grabbing hold of the obstruction that choked him. He just barely grabbed hold when a firm grip stopped him. He squirmed his hand to escape the grip but it was stronger then his so he clamped his hand down at tight as he could on the obstruction in his throat. His eyes darted around the room searching for the grip on his hand. He found it in the dark shadow hovering above him.

His mind swarmed trying to figure out why he wasn't being allowed to remove the obstruction that was choking him. The last events that occurred before he lost consciousness replayed in his mind. Bailey, the dark shadow was Bailey and he was still trying to kill him. He was going to let him suffocate. Terrified, he fought with all his might to get away from the hands that held him down and kept him from dislodging the object in his throat. He had to get away. If he let the object stay, Bailey would win and he would never see Don again. He felt a small prick in his arm. Then he felt the heaviness in his body return. He felt sluggish, he tried to struggle but he was just too tired. The restraining hands loosened and let go. All he could think of was Don and the hope that he would find him soon, and darkness consumed him.

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Don sat next to his brother. Although Charlie wasn't in danger of dying anymore, Don didn't want to leave him. The last real scare they'd had with Charlie was when he flat lined. It turned out that the infection was worse then anyone first diagnosed and the antibiotics weren't strong enough. Once they stabilized him, the doctors cleaned the wound again and started the new round of drugs; after that he improved at a gradual rate. Since then, he hadn't been willing to leave Charlie's side. It didn't matter whether visiting hours were over, he stayed anyways. Everyone tried to get him to go home and get some rest but he refused knowing that he wouldn't be able to sleep anyways. If he ever left Charlie's side, it was only when he couldn't wait any longer to use the restroom, and those were always record times. It was only just recently, after he'd been guaranteed that Charlie would live, that he was willing to go home and rest.

Don had been in high spirits ever since a nurse last checked up on Charlie. He had asked her if she knew how soon it would be before Charlie could be taken off the respirator. She had told him that currently in his condition; Charlie would probably be taken off the respirator within a few days; but that they would have a more accurate time frame once he woke up. Don's ears pricked eagerly at the mention of Charlie waking up. He had noticed that Charlie looked greatly improved, he put on some weight, although he was still skinny, almost all of the bruising was healed and disappeared, and his color had almost come back completely only leaving him slightly pale. The idea of Charlie waking up soon elated him. After the nurse left the room, he eagerly talked to Charlie, asking him to wake up. He managed to talk to him for an hour, about what he didn't know, after that he was all talked out so he turned on the TV and watched a baseball game that was playing.

Terry popped in every now and then to give him updates and see how Charlie was coming along. Larry and Amita dropped by quite often to tell Charlie how his classes were going that they picked up. They would stay for a while and play chess; it was always a fierce battle between the two. The only person that stayed for visits longer and more often than Alan was Don. The two of them would guard Charlie and talk to him. But to be honest, they mostly talked with each other. Don talked about how guilty he felt that he got Charlie mixed up in all of this and how if he weren't and FBI agent, none of this would have happened. Alan of course told him that the reality was that the person that did this had been out of touch with reality and probably would have done all of this whether he were an agent or not. Don didn't know why, but after those many long conversations, he felt better about himself, and about this entire situation, even though there was still a trickle of guilt in him.

He now found himself alone with Charlie yet again. It was dark outside, had been for quite a while now. He watched the David Letterman Show, allowing a quiet laugh to escape him every now and then. He knew he should go home and see his father; it had been a long time since the Eppes family had had a meal together. He decided that he would go home once he finished watching the show; after all it was very comical tonight. He felt some what relieved, like a heavy burden had been removed from his shoulders. His brother was going to live, he would be waking up very soon, and all he had left to do was catch Bailey and put him back in his room with padded walls. But everything was always easier said than done, as of late it seems that Bailey has fallen off the face of the planet. No sighting of any kind, no sign that he has made any money withdraws from anyone's bank accounts or committed any other crimes while Charlie recovered. Perhaps he didn't know that he had failed to kill Charlie and moved into hiding. Don found that he didn't really care just as long as Bailey stayed away from him and the rest of his family. He'd done enough damage for one life time.

Suddenly Don noticed Charlie's hand move. He was shocked at first, even though he'd been told his brother would wake soon, it'd been so long he hadn't really believed. At first he was elated that his brother was awake, but then he realized what Charlie was about to do and quickly grabbed his hand before he could remove the respirator tube. Realizing something held his hand back he wriggled his wrist trying to shake loose from Don. When he couldn't he clamped down on the tube as hard as he could. With his second hand, Don started to pry Charlie's fingers off of the tube. Despite Charlie having been to death's door and back he was stronger than Don had expected and he had to really work at it to get Charlie's hand off.

Once he got his hand off the tube, Don restrained it at Charlie's side. Seeing he was defeated, Charlie's eyes traveled away from his hand and darted around the room quickly landing on Don. Don talked to him trying to keep him calm, letting know that he was there and that everything would be okay. He couldn't know for sure but he didn't really think that Charlie was hearing him. Charlie had looked at him blankly for about two seconds and then gained a terrified look and struggle to escape from him as much as he possibly could. He squirmed in every direction, jerked side to side, and was constantly glancing around the room for an escape. Don held him as still as possible so that he wouldn't hurt himself, but it was clear to him that Charlie wouldn't calm down. He risked releasing one hand to press the call button for a nurse. In moments a nurse came and administered a light sedative. Don watched as Charlie's movements slowed. He had a look of desperation in his eyes just before they closed into peaceful sleep.

The nurse suggested that Don go home and rest for the night and come back in the morning. He didn't want to go. He didn't want Charlie to wake up alone. If he had reacted like that with Don there, how would he react waking up alone? The nursed sensed this concern and assured him that the sedative she had administered would keep Charlie sleeping peacefully through the night. Hesitantly he agreed to go home. Giving Charlie a reassuring squeeze on the hand, he left the hospital and went to see his father.

Just as he expected, his father was awake and cooking him dinner. They clearly knew each other too well. Alan had known Don wouldn't come home until late and hadn't bothered to start dinner until he knew Donnie would be home soon. Don plopped himself onto the couch closing his eyes as he waited for his father to finish cooking dinner which was about ten minutes away. It seemed like he'd just closed his eyes when his father called him over to the table. Over dinner he told his father about his day and vented about how they hadn't found any sign of Bailey ever since the reporter incident.

Don hadn't expected that when he accused the young reporter of being an accomplice with Bailey, that Bailey would retaliate enraged at the thought of needing an accomplice. Of course like everyone, the kid had claimed innocence. They got a warrant to search his home but found nothing, they tried everything they could to link him to Bailey, but the only possible shred of linkage was the video tape. The kid's employer had vouched for the kid saying that he'd been present when he received the tip to go to that address. He hadn't liked the sound of the tipster so he went with the kid when he video taped. Don hadn't been convinced until the kid was found dead in his home, with a note signed by Bailey stating that he didn't need accomplices.

Alan was pleased to hear that Charlie had woken up, even if he wasn't up for long and had panicked. It wasn't a surprise to him for some reason. He figured that after having been kidnapped for nine days enduring who knows what, shot three times with a huge infection in his side, and in the hospital for almost a month, that Charlie would wake up confused not knowing where he was, and perhaps, if he'd even been rescued. After they were done talking and had finished dinner, Don and Alan went upstairs to bed, grabbing a healthy dose of Tums to tame the chili.

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At the hospital Don and Alan settled in for a long day. The night had been uneventful after Don left but the nurse said that the sedative would be wearing off and that they should call someone when he woke up. Don couldn't wait for him to wake up, he wanted to get a clear look at his brother's eyes, last time they'd been cloudy from the sedatives that he wasn't completely off of yet. He hoped this awakening would go better and last longer, perhaps maybe a conversation, even if it was a simplistic one.

The hours passed somewhat quickly and lazily. Just like last time, when Charlie finally woke up, it was when Don least expected it. He realized that Charlie was awake when Charlie turned his head towards him. His beautiful browns weren't clouded like last time, they were very clear. They were the best thing Don had seen in a long time. Charlie didn't panic; he tried once to remove the tube. Alan and Don both explained to him that he couldn't take it out. He seemed to understand this time and although it was clear that it caused him discomfort and he didn't like it, he left it alone. He listened to what his family told him with a small hint of fear still in his eyes. It was very apparent that he was still exhausted; you could see tiredness in everything he did. Don held Charlie's hand while the nurse looked over the vitals and checked up on Charlie. After some time she determined that he could be taken off the respirator, and left the room.

Alan was telling Charlie about something when Don realized this would be a good time to call Larry and Amita and let them know that he was awake and it was a good time for them to visit. He turned to leave but Charlie wouldn't let go of his hand. He tried to tell Charlie that he was only going to leave for a few minutes to call Larry and Amita, but Charlie refused to let go. Alan seeing the dilemma offered to make the phone call instead so that Don could stay with Charlie. This seemed to work seeing the relief in Charlie's expression as Don returned to his chair.

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By the time Larry and Amita arrived at the hospital, Charlie had been taken off of the respirator and was trying his hand at what looked like Top Roman. He gave a huge grin when he saw them walk in the door. Even at the slower pace from Charlie being so tired, Don couldn't keep up with the mathematical discussion that erupted at their arrival. Charlie seemed elated to be seeing his friends again, and to have some one to talk to. He was even more pleased to hear that if he continued making this good progress, he could be home by the end of the week. Don wasn't sure when the gigantic toothy grin appeared, but he was pleased that his brother wore it for the entire day.

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"Bailey"

"It's almost time to begin"

"Good"

"Are you ready?"

"More than ever."

"Good, meet me at the specified location and time"

"Fine"

"Just a little bit longer before we can begin"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** **Hey everyone, I'm so sorry it took so long. I've been battling a rabid infection in my leg and couldn't work on this until just recently. I will try to update more often. Thank you for all the reviews, they make me feel appreciated. Well let me know what you think of this chapter. Smiles!**

Chapter 15

By the end of the week Charlie was desperate to get out of the hospital. He didn't want to spend another minute there; he just wanted to be home with his family and try to forget what had happened those nine days. He still didn't know why he'd been taken, Don wasn't exactly telling him details and the rest of his team wasn't willing to say anything that he wouldn't. Charlie was beginning to go stir crazy, the only times he wasn't sleeping, he was going nuts with nothing to do. He was especially lonely for some of his dad's home cooking. The stuff they had him on here was the next thing up from boiled broccoli water. He'd managed to bribe Larry into smuggling some chocolate chip cookies to him, which helped with the starvation, but every time he managed to convince Larry to bring him paper and pencil with some math equation to do, Don always managed to intercept them before he even caught sight of them. At one point, Don threatened to arrest Charlie for Black Market dealings, Charlie simply quipped that no one would convict him for buying paper and pencil off the Black Market.

When Charlie was told he could go home, he was ecstatic. He didn't care that he was only going from one bed to the other, he would be home and that was all he cared about. Charlie grumbled for a few minutes when they said he had to use a wheelchair to get out to the car, but only for a few minutes. He chattered happily with his brother all the way to the car. The ride home was spent in silence but it was a comfortable silence of relaxation. Before he knew it, Charlie was falling asleep. The day was warm and sunny; he was on his way home at last. There was nothing left to fear, he was safe, and he could relax.

Don watched as his brother drifted off to sleep while he drove. He smiled at his brother; he seemed to finally be truly relaxed. He still didn't know what exactly had been done to Charlie, but so far it looked as if Charlie hadn't been truly traumatized by what happened. He hoped that his assumption would be true. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to imagine what Bailey had put his brother through all to get revenge on him. He had no demands; he simply kept Charlie in his control to make Don miserable. Don pulled up to the driveway and shook his brother lightly to wake him up. He was glad the whole mess was over and he and Charlie could get back to their lives together.

Don was barely able to help Charlie out of the car before their father was buzzing around them both acting like the worrisome father that he was. Alan ranted and raved about how Charlie was to rest and relax for the next couple of weeks, explained the four-course meals he would be cooking him, and the time tables in which Charlie was to take his meds. Charlie kept saying that he was fine, he just needed a few days rest and he would be back to normal. The tight grip Charlie had on Don's shoulder told him otherwise but for Charlie's sake, didn't point this out to their father. He helped his brother settle onto the couch with his plethora of pillows and blankets and headed off to get him water for his medication. Quickly downing the pills he looked around for paper, pencil and some math equations to work on.

"Don't bother; dad's made sure there isn't anything for you to work on within miles of this house."

"Oh man, what am I supposed to do with myself now?"

"I've got just the thing," Don announced running out of the room for a moment with an evil grin. Charlie watched him run out of the room with a worried look. He'd been rescued from the clutches of one mad man and put into the grips of his lunatic brother. A second later his brother bounced back into the room with a video tape in his hand.

"This is just the thing to cheer you up after coming home!" Don stated evilly.

"What is it?" Charlie question with a hint of concern

"BAMBI" Don cackled. Charlie gave a loud groan. Only his brother would think to watch Bambi with him the day he got back from the hospital after being shot three times and beaten. Alan came running into the living room to see what was wrong. When he realized why Charlie was groaning he rolled his eyes at both his sons and went back to cooking a meal. For the rest of the night Don and Charlie watched Disney movies while gorging themselves on the delicious meals that their father made for them. Don found himself watching Charlie more than he watched the movies. He looked for some sign of trauma plaguing his brother. His brother just seemed happy to be home with his family again, and for that Don was thankful.

He figured his brother might talk to him later when he was ready and seeing that the ordeal wasn't having any visibly negative effects emotionally, he was fine with that. He turned back to the TV and watched the last ten minutes of The Little Mermaid contently. Don gave a really big stretch as the credits scrolled up the screen. It was getting late and he could see Charlie's eyes starting to wave around. Slowly he got up to get a blanket for the night.

"Don"

"Yeah buddy?"

"Can you stay the night?" Charlie asked hopefully.

"Sure buddy, I'll stay as long as you need me" Don grabbed a blanket out of the closet and curled up next to Charlie on the recliner next to the couch. He knew he would probably regret sleeping in the recliner by morning, but he didn't care, his brother needed him by his side and he didn't feel like dragging a mattress downstairs and chance waking his father. Perhaps if Charlie still wanted him to spend the night again he would get it tomorrow.

The next morning Alan woke up to find both of his sons asleep in the living room. He knew they would both probably regret sleeping through the night on the couch and chair instead of their beds, but he wouldn't protest, this was good for the brotherly bonding. He sneaked by as quietly as he could so as to not disturb his sleeping boys and started making breakfast. Once the wonderful aromas filled the house Don came shuffling in looking somewhat disheveled from the chair taking in a deep breath.

"Morning Don" Don gave a small mumble in response not really awake yet. He shuffled over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup adding lots of sugar.

"Up late eh?"

"Only until his eyes were starting to wave around" Alan just shook his head. At least they weren't off the couch; after all they were just watching movies. He smiled at himself; he had no idea where Don had found those movies, he suspected this was a last minute plot he had developed to keep Charlie relaxing. Don sat there silently sipping his cup of coffee watching his father cook a fabulous breakfast. Don looked over at his brother just in time to see him wake up. Charlie sat up and waved side to side slightly not truly free from unconsciousness. He looked like a mad scientist with his hair going in every direction practically standing on end. He blinked a few times and looked towards the kitchen taking a deep breath. Don grinned at his brother's sporadic hair style, he was definitely the next Einstein.

"What?"

"Just admiring your new hair style" Don walked over handing Charlie a comb

"It can't be that bad"

"Sure whatever you say, just don't go near any mirrors" Charlie grumbled as he combed his hair down. Don plopped down on the recliners just in time for Alan to bring two plates of breakfast to the living room. Both brothers marveled at the plate of food they were served. Alan smiled at his sons breathing in their food. It was good to know that neither of them truly lost their appetites during this ordeal.

Through out the morning Alan was in and out of the house doing chores. Don had solemnly sworn that he wouldn't leave the house while he was gone, so Charlie was never left alone. That made Alan happy. Coming back from the store he found that his sons had been playing chess, Don was losing.

"How is it that even when recovering from a massive infection, three gunshot wounds, and a concussion, you still beat me at chess?" Things were definitely resuming normalcy. Around lunch time he came out to find Charlie on the couch watching Mary Poppins and Don entering the living room singing Just a Spoon Full of Sugar with the movie, carrying Charlie's meds in one hand and a spoon of sugar in the other. It seemed that Don was thoroughly enjoying taking care of his baby brother on the road to recovery, and even if he didn't admit it, Charlie was enjoying the quality time with his brother.

The day passed pleasantly. The only occurrence that could be counted as an event was when Charlie found a big bell and incessantly rang it for room service. Don put up with it for a while, but after a while he got annoyed with the constant ringing of bells. After all of those Disney movies, Charlie had finally found a way to retaliate. In the end, Don challenged Charlie to a game of Chutes and Ladders over the bell. Much to his dismay he lost and the bell remained until Charlie fell asleep and Don was able to steal it into hiding. After dinner he went upstairs and got dressed for his date that night. Once finished he went downstairs to check in on the boys, whom had gone suspiciously quiet. He found them deep into a game of Risk.

"Watched all the Disneys?"

"No, they're gone" Don said glumly

"Gone?"

"Yes, apparently, when Larry came to visit today, Charlie managed to bribe him into taking the videos with him"

"Oh, fighting back is he?"

"Yes" Charlie grinned mischievously at his victory over the videos.

"Well, I'm headed out on a date. Don't kill each other while I'm gone"

"Alright Dad, just remember, don't buy soap" Charlie heckled. Alan rolled his eyes and left to pick up his date. He didn't think he would ever live down the soap.

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**Several Hours Later**

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! THIS IS APPALING!" Charlie shouted in dismay

"Believed brother, you lost." Don smirked at his brother's disbelief

"How could you have done that? That's impossible!"

"Bet your math equations did predict that" Don was loving this

"How could you have one? I had you trapped in Congo and Madagascar!"

"Skills" Don took another glance and the glorious appearance of the Risk board. It was beautiful, all covered in green and blue, not a red or black game piece anywhere; he was victorious. Charlie's stunned expression made it all the more beautiful. Charlie was right about one thing, it had seemed impossible. His brother had played well. He'd been able to whittle him down until he only had troops left in Congo and Madagascar. Soon after that Don was able to make a miraculous come back. He captured Africa, then South America; from there it was all down hill.

Charlie put away all the tiny pieces while Don dragged a mattress downstairs. It wasn't long before both brothers were sleeping peacefully after a full day. Sleeping deeply, neither Charlie, nor Don saw the shadowy figure slip skillfully into the house.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. I got behind in my school work and was failing three classes again, I'm still waiting for the leg thingy to go away, but that's just the superficial stuff remaining. My world was falling apart and completely stressing me out so I stopped everything except the school work and getting everything under control. But now that it is I can get back to my writing. Oh one last thing, some people found my threats to stop writing offensive. I don't apologize. I reserve the right to return threats when I receive them. I don't care that you can read something else; I can't force anyone to review. But remember if you send me threats I will send you some. Enjoy the chapter. Smiles.**

Chapter 16

Charlie watched as his brother made his move. It was an interesting development. After losing several games of chess, winning a game of chutes and ladders, and then by some miracle of supernatural occurrence, beat him at risk, they now played a game of checkers. Don was holding his own but he couldn't win, not against mathematics, no matter what strategy he used. It was down to Don with one king and Charlie with two. He'd been chasing his brother around the board for a while now but Don was always managing to escape the skin of his teeth.

"It's late; Dad must be having a good date."

"Yeah, unlike us bum brothers, home on a Friday night."

"How is it that the old man can still get a date, but his young, dashing, handsome, knight in shining armor sons can't get one?"

"Who knows" Charlie yawned as his brother made his move. He was getting tired. He was able to do a lot more now but he still got tired fairly early in the night. He was ready to go to bed. Don barley finished moving his piece when Charlie took his last king, smiling at his brother's shocked face.

"That's just mean. You were toying with me the whole time weren't you?" Charlie ignored him and wiggled his way completely under the blankets. Don brought Charlie his medication and a glass of water before heading upstairs to drag his old mattress downstairs. It was an unspoken agreement between him and his brother that he would stay at Charlie's house until he was approved to go back to teaching. In an odd way he was glad that this happened. Would he ask to have his brother shot again, no, but he was glad that it gave them all this time for brotherly bonding.

Charlie watched as his brother climbed the stairs to his bedroom. He was a little surprised by all of the time off his brother had taken just to take care of him. He thought that his caretaking would be done mostly by his father. Surprisingly his father had barely been involved. He seemed to be letting Don do it all. Charlie felt safe again. He was with his family and his brother was going out of his way just to spend some time with him. Every day that his brother stayed they grew closer together. He hadn't expected to actually enjoy the recovery time without his math equations, but it seems that Don found a way to keep him on the couch and not bored out of his mind. He was glad to be home.

Charlie stared at the top of the stairs reminiscing about the past two months of his life and this suddenly stronger bond with his brother. He gave a little yawn waiting for his brother to return. He felt a small prick, much like a small bug bite in the side of his neck. Wearily he reached his hand up to his neck, itching the spot lightly. He felt exhausted, his eyes drooped heavily, and he drifted off to sleep.

Don grunted as he dragged the large mattress towards the stairs. It seemed to gain five pounds with each step he took. He was about halfway down the stairs when his brother came into his view. To his shock Charlie was unconscious, and being carried across the room by Dylon Bailey. Dropping the mattress he charged towards Bailey at top speed. He wouldn't let it begin again, he couldn't. Bailey turned seconds before Don impacted knocking the three men to the ground.

Charlie simply dropped to the ground. It worried Don what had been done to subdue him. The seconds flew by as Bailey and he rolled on the ground kicking, punching, and shoving, trying to capture the other. Each blow was equally fierce and numerous. Bailey and Don were of equal match, it would take a lot for Don to win this match. Out of the blue Bailey produced a small gun in his hand. He desperately fought to point the gun at Don long enough to pull the trigger. He was losing the battle and needed to debilitate his adversary quickly or he would be defeated.

Don fought like a man on fire. He had to defend his brother. He had failed once and wasn't going to do it again. Bailey was trying to stir things up again but he wouldn't let him, not this time; this time he would win, he would end it all. He put all the strength and endurance he had into this one fight. He managed to get on top of Bailey and had a hold of his wrists, but Bailey was the one with the gun. All of Bailey's focus was on pointing the gun at him long enough to shoot it. In a tug of war they both lost and gained ground but it wasn't quite enough for either to win. Moments seemed like seconds, seconds seemed practically nonexistent. Slowly Don lost ground inch by inch. Abruptly the gun was pointed at him. Everything went black.

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Alan sauntered his way to the front door. It had been a wonderful night. He'd taken his date to a beautiful dinner followed by an entire night of dancing. Smiling at himself he quietly unlocked the door, trying not to wake his boys up. It was nearly midnight; this had been just what he needed after such a long and awful two months.

A chunk of ice hit the pit of his stomach when he walked inside his home. A mattress was left halfway down the stairs, there was a small pool of blood, and both his sons were gone. It was all beginning again.

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Charlie slowly opened his eyes. Something wasn't right. He felt groggy, the room was spinning slightly, and the couch felt awfully hard. Wearily he pushed himself to sit up. He couldn't figure out where he was. The room was wrong, it wasn't his living room. His body felt sore. Why had he been sleeping on the ground? He heard a door open at the other end of the room. Looking towards it his world collapsed around him. He wasn't home. He was still in the clutches of a lunatic. It had been so wonderful being found. But he hadn't been found. It was all a dream.

**A/N: You like?**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Hey guys, remember me? I'm so sorry it took so long to update. I got sick for a while an then I had another story line stuck in my head and I couldn't get rid of it and it wouldn't let me focus on this story. So anyhoo; this story is almost finished, there will probably be one more chapter after this. So here is chapter seventeen, I hope you enjoy,

Chapter 17

Bailey sauntered from the room in which he held Charlie towards the basement. He had thought it would be a good idea to keep the F.B.I agent separate from his brother; he didn't want to risk them putting their expertise to use in order to escape. He stopped for a moment, looking at himself in a mirror. He had quite the shiner, a fat lip, and he lost two teeth in order to re-kidnap the young mathematician. Things hadn't gone quite as planned at the Eppes home. Yes, he was able to quietly and discreetly administer the sedative to little Charlie without him realizing that he was being sedated. He almost made it to the door before the events went awry. Don sighted him hefting his brother towards the door. The next thing he knew he was in a battle for control with the F.B.I agent. It most certainly wasn't easy as shown by the large bruising he now sported. He probably would have lost if it weren't for his military training back in the day. He took one more look at his bruised face before shrugging his shoulders and moving on. He needed to check on Don and make sure he was comfortable.

He didn't bother trying to walk down the stairs quietly, he knew that they wouldn't squeak, at least not while he walked on the left side. It was a clever way of being able to detect the approach of someone but being able to sneak about yourself and not have your presence known. He opened the well oiled door silently. His prisoner was still unconscious. He scowled at the mess; it seemed that Eppes was determined to bleed all over his floor. Oh, well he would just have to mop it up after they were dead. The thought caused him to grin maniacally. He would finally be able to avenge his brother's murder. Although the kidnapping hadn't gone the way he planned it had allowed him the opportunity he couldn't pass up. He would be able to kill his good friend Donald's brother while all he could do was watch, the most perfect torture, and then he could kill Don and his revenge would be complete. His brother would be able to rest in peace at last. Looking back at Eppes one last time he wandered back upstairs and grabbed a sandwich from the kitchen. He couldn't believe how much he'd missed out on while he was locked away in the insane asylum. The freedom to wander wherever you wished, eat what you wished when you wished was marvelous, but the best part of being out was the television. The ability to watch television all day was a dream. There were so many different channels and the wide variety of shows that were aired, he never got bored. He finished that last bite of his Cadillac egg sandwich followed by a swig of soda then headed off to check up on the professor. He was delighted to see that Charlie was wide awake and exploring his little box of a room, most likely for a way to escape but that didn't matter, he wouldn't get out.

"G'morning professor"

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Alan couldn't help but pace the office floor. He'd come home from a marvelous date to find his sons gone, and a pool of blood on the floor. He'd nearly had a heart attack. Where could his sons be? It wasn't happening, it just wasn't. He thought that they were finally finished with this whole ordeal, but no, apparently this Bailey guy had managed to kidnap Charlie yet again, as well as Don. It was like the nightmare that wouldn't end. So now he found himself pacing back and forth at Don's office while his team processed the crime scene which was once his home. Why couldn't things just go back to normal? He didn't know what he would do if they couldn't find his sons, his baby boys. He didn't know what to do; he was somewhat prepared to lose Don in the line of duty, after all that was part of his job, but Charlie. He was a math professor. He wasn't supposed to even be at risk and here he was twice kidnapped and nearly killed. Life just wouldn't give him a break. Alan started to pace faster and faster. He could feel the eyes of agents he didn't know watching him. He knew it was what they were supposed to do; it was there job at the moment. Just keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't leave, that what Terry had told them, she wanted him to stay there so they wouldn't have to keep a constant tab on him. It had been estimated that the kidnapping had happened roughly two hours before he had come home. That meant that his sons had been gone for three hours already. He feared that if much more time went by he would never be able to find his sons.

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Terry rubbed her temples trying to ward away the headache as she walked into the elevator. There hadn't been a whole lot of evidence at the Eppes home. Bailey's prints seemed to be everywhere, it was clear that he wasn't bothering to hide his identity anymore, there wasn't really a point. Despite all the evidence that was there, none of it would help lead them to where Don and Charlie were. She heaved a sigh, leaning against the wall of the elevator. Another agent was in the elevator with her talking on her cell phone. She tried not to listen in on the conversation but it was somewhat difficult givin the close quarters. It irritated her that she couldn't figure out a way to find Don. She knew that there was a way but it was proving elusive and difficult to catch. Suddenly it seemed like the other agent was talking as loud as possible and she found it impossible to focus on anything but the conversation.

"Well honey I don't know where your phone is. Where did you last put your phone down? No of course I don't remember where you put it; I would have let you know if I knew." Terry could hear the stress beginning to rise in the agent's voice as she got tired of the pointless circling questions. "Well you know want, you are just going to look for it the old fashioned way, I don't know what you think but I'm not GPS, I don't know where the phone is." With that the lady hung up the phone and stepped out of the elevator. She would never know it but she had caught the elusive way of finding Don that had escaped Terry for the last hour. Terry hurried out of the elevator with renewed hope of finding Don.

"David, check if Don's phone is on, if it is track it and we'll find Don, Charlie, and Bailey." She waited impatiently, five, ten, then fifteen minutes before David had tracked Don's cell phone to a specific address. Within moments a team agents were suiting up for combat. It was time to end this mess once and for all and find Don and Charlie.

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Charlie explored his small cubicle prison. It wasn't the same place as he was taken last time. Of course he hadn't been taken to the same place; that would be plain stupid, besides, last time he'd been taken, it'd been to a small house much too small to house two prisoners in different places. No, this place was larger, and Don was somewhere within its confines. When he'd first woken after the kidnapping, which he oddly remembered nothing of; he'd thought that the whole rescue and quality time had been a dream; that was until he rediscovered his bandaging, which was when he realized that this was a second kidnapping. This Bailey guy just couldn't give him a break. He failed to kill him the first time so what does he go and do? He goes and kidnaps him and his brother again. Honestly, if it didn't work the first time why did he think the second would be any better? He explored a little more, there were no windows, and the door was locked. His only way out was when Bailey came in again, he would have to incapacitate him somehow.

He leaned against the opposite wall to the door when he heard the lock click. He tried to look calm, unafraid, prepared. It was the exact opposite of how he felt. He moved as little as possible conserving what little energy he had; he would need all the help he could get to take Bailey down with himself still recovering from three bullet wounds to the chest.

"G'morning professor" Charlie simply glared at him for a moment. Silence.

"Why are you doing this?" His voice was stone cold.

"Not in a good mood eh, well, you shouldn't make me mad, not with big brother's life in my hands."

"What possessed you to do all of this?" His voice was monotone now.

"I guess Donnie dear didn't have a chance to tell you he was a murderer, now did he?"

"He's not a murderer."

"Charlie m'boy you don't even know what I'm talking about and you are already taking sides"

"How am I supposed to know the story if you keep dodging my question?" Bailey started to look perturbed.

"Alright, I'll tell you. Don was working some drug case, I don't know the details, anyways, and the drug dealers got a few hostages, one being my little brother. So Don and his big shot team are all set to make the bust. So they go in guns waving and of course they use my brother as a shield. Now, they've managed to take out every hostile except the one holding my bro. The hostile is pointing a gun at my bro's head and Don is pointing a gun in both their direction. Next thing I see is hot shot Donnie Eppes shoots my brother between the eyes and lets the criminal run off with his freedom. How's that for not being a murderer?"

"You're certifiably insane" Charlie barely got the words out before Bailey snapped. The next thing he knew he was being pressed into the wall, meaty fingers squeezing his throat, cutting off his air supply. This was not the reaction he expected, the world graying around the edges.

"**I'M NOT INSANE! I'M JUST AS NORMAL AND YOU OR ANYONE ELSE ALIVE! YOU'RE DON TOOK MY LITTLE BROTHER'S LIFE IN COLD BLOOD! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO PROTECT HIM, KEEP HIM SAFE; BUT YOUR BROTHER MURDERED HIM AND NOW HE'S HAS TO PAY! AND SO WILL YOU!" **Bailey stormed out of the room in a rampage. He coughed and sputtered for several minutes, sinking to the floor, gasping for air. After he was breathing normally again he had an epiphany; the door was unlocked.

A/N: So what you think? Sorry it took so looong. It was hard to write but oh well. So now you know what Bailey thinks happened. Any questions? I think I answered them all but let me know if there are more. There will probably be one, maybe two chapters left for this story. I hope you've enjoyed. Will try to update faster.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Hey how are my happy readers? Enjoying the story? Anyways this is either the last chapter or there will be one more after this, I don't really know yet. Anyways if you people want to know more about Bailey I could write a companion piece for him. I don't normally write companion pieces but we would get to know more about Bailey. Anyhoo let me know if you want one. Enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 18

Charlie walked slowly towards the door, not really believing that it was unlocked. He pressed his ear to the door; he could hear Bailey and it sounded like he was walking down stairs. He took a deep breathe; this would probably be his only chance of escape or calling for help. He tried the door knob finding it miraculously unlocked. He listened for Bailey one last time and then turned the knob. He was in a hall, a very narrow hall. You could fit maybe two people shoulder to shoulder. He could barely breathe as his search for stairs. He had a feeling that Bailey was headed to Don when he left. Everything was empty, quiet; the lack of noise unnerved him. He looked for something he could use as a weapon. There was nothing that would be affective.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the voice. He followed the voice, it was Bailey's voice. Bailey was talking to someone but it seemed to be a one sided conversation for there was no voice responding. He barely breathed; tip-toeing his was towards a door. He grabbed the door knob freezing, not knowing what he wanted to do. He needed a plan, but he didn't know what he would accomplish. This guy was capable of anything and must have been a good fighter because he overpowered his brother the F.B.I agent. He stopped letting a couple of probabilities run through his head. They all came out the same, now was his best and most likely only opportunity to escape and this was the best course of action. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and turned the doorknob.

There were stairs behind the door, they led downward. The stairs had cobwebs draping across them and had no rail. He took the first step only to have a heart attack when the stair omitted a high pitched creak that seemed to reverberate off the walls. He took deep breaths to slow his heart rate. He kept expecting to see Bailey bound up the stairs and attack, but he never did. He slowly added pressure onto the stair with one foot until it started to squeak. He tried the center and right side of the stair without any success. When he added his weight to the left side the squeak he expected never came. He continued down the stairs walking on the left side. Minutes seemed like eternity. It seemed like he would never make it to the bottom but he did.

Slowly peeking around the corner he observed the room. He couldn't seem Bailey anywhere. The room was empty of all furniture. There was what looked like a walk in closet to his right. He spotted his brother sitting tied to a chair in the centre of the room. He appeared to be unconscious. He leaned heavily against his restrains, head down, blood oozing from his right shoulder. Charlie couldn't tell whether he was breathing or not, he was at a wrong angle and if his brother was breathing, it was very lightly.

He stepped off the stairs into the room, again searching for his adversary. It worried him that Bailey had suddenly disappeared. He stepped farther into the room covertly. Taking steps towards Don he gave the closet a wide birth. Glancing into the closet he found it empty, simply empty. Perhaps there was an upstairs as well and he'd heard Bailey going up those instead of down these.

His heart thudded in his throat; he was sure that the noise it made would alert the enemy to his presence. Except for the beating of his anxious heart everything was quiet, too quiet. He whispered his brother's name taking a baby step towards him. Don didn't respond. He took another step towards his brother. He needed to know if he was alive, and if he was he had to wake him up so they could escape. He felt the urgent need of some kind of weapon with the impending silence of doom weighing upon him. He turned towards Don finally decided no monsters hid in the closet and called out his brother's name louder than before, barely able to get the name out before…

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Terry couldn't seem to make the car go fast enough. She was almost pressing down the gas pedal completely, drivers around her barely able to pull aside at the command of the wailing sirens before she passed them by. The address hadn't been located more than twenty minutes from the F.B.I office especially at the speeds she was going but it seemed to take forever to arrive. This needed to end. They absolutely positively had to capture Bailey and regained Don and Charlie so everyone's lives could get back to normal.

David sat next to her gripping the seat for dear life. If it hadn't been for the current circumstances he would probably have made her pull over and let him drive, or even arrest her for such reckless driving, but he seemed more focused on finding Don, Charlie, and surviving the drive leading to them. They were almost there; they had already been driving for at least ten minutes and were maybe two minutes from arrival. Time seemed never to pass. Terry turned off the sirens, the rest of her team following suit, she didn't want Bailey to know that they were coming.

They pulled up to an old shack-like house not much bigger than the one they went to last time. The white paint peeled horribly and it looked as if the house would fall over any minute. Cobwebs were everywhere. If it hadn't been for the fact that they traced Don's phone to this location none would have believed that this was the hide out of a lunatic man holding an F.B.I agent and a famous mathematician. The team slunk towards the house surrounding the exits. Terry peeked inside one of the dusty old windows. She could see the kitchen with sandwich makings and an opened soda can. Beyond the kitchen was a small hall with what looked to be only one room with the door ajar. She wasn't however able to see Don, Charlie, or Bailey. The other members checked in without any visuals. The best they had for a location was a door deeper within the house that looked to lead to a basement. Silently they entered the house slinking through each room in search for their foe. There didn't seem to be any sign that anyone had been there except for the food on the table and the two opened doors. The hall door was clear so they headed towards the second door. They opened the door. There were stairs leading down. David rushed down the stairs, shadowed by Terry and the team. They didn't bother about the high pitched squeaks and squeals of the stairs. Silence wasn't needed.

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Ouch! That's all he could think. He'd just reached his brother when he heard Bailey come stampeding down the stairs. He turned to face him only to catch the full body blow of Bailey careening into him. They collapsed to the floor in a tangle of fists. Charlie brought his knee hard into Bailey's stomach, pushing him off and rolling away. He took advantage of being on his feet first only to tackle his foe to the ground landing several affective punches. Bailey flailed his arms for a moment before locking onto Charlie's upper arm and flipping their roles. Charlie could tell he was losing the battle. He felt his arms grow tired, he couldn't push Bailey off of him. Once Bailey had gained supremacy he'd pinned down Charlie's hands with his knees. Powerful fingers wrapped tightly around his throat and squeezed. He squirmed beneath him trying to escape. His head pounded in complaint at the lack of oxygen. The edges of his vision greyed slowly before quickly going black and consuming. He knew he'd lost the battle but he still struggled. At least he thought he was struggling but he didn't know whether his limbs were responding. He could only see pin points in front of him when suddenly a tremendous weight all over, but he could breathe again. He gasped and wheezed sucking in as much air as he could, unsure whether he would get another breath. The weight was gone and someone sat next to him, sitting him up, clutching his shoulder tightly. As is vision cleared with each breath he saw David sitting next to him making sure he was okay. Terry and a troupe of paramedics were with Don.

A couple of paramedics came over to him and checked him out for injuries only to clear him as healthy. Charlie looked around slightly dazed. Don was still being worked with paramedics, being loaded into an ambulance. Next to where Charlie had been there was a blanket covering a body, Bailey's body. Charlie let himself be led into David's SUV, following behind the ambulance transporting his brother. At the hospital they met his father, someone must have called him. He embraced his father thankful that he still could. Together they waited anxiously for word on Don. It was surprisingly a short wait before the doctor came with his report. Don would be fine. He'd recieved a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The miracle was that it missed all bones and arteries. After a couple of weeks of down time he would be back to his old self. He let his father see Don first before he saw his brother. He was in there for a good fifteen minutes before he came out and went to get himself and Charlie coffee. He sat next to his brother keeping a grateful vigil until he awoke. His brother lay there resting peacefully with the sedatives ready to awake and go back to living life. Bailey was dead, unable to bother his brother and him anymore. It was over. It was finally over.

**A/N:** Oh My Gosh! i finished a story. i've actually finished the story. this is a first for me, this is the first time i've ever finished the story. everyone celebrate and tell me what you thought. if you want Bailey's story let me know, i might do it anyways but you people will get it a lot sooner if you let me know you want it. There might be a sequel for this story but don't expect it too soon it's barely developed but let me know if you want it. i hope you enjoyed.


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